arlene mckenzie

Photo from http://convio.cancer.ca/site/PageServer?pagename=WELCOME_SK_enews_oct_2010_meet_the_fighters

A Swift Current cancer survivor and volunteer will receive the Canadian Cancer Society's Medal of Courage this spring.

Arlene Mckenzie doesn't feel like she stands out above any others.

"I was shocked because I found out at a support group meeting I was facilitating," Mckenzie said. "As I looked around the table I felt that pretty much anybody sitting there should get a medal of courage when they face the word cancer."

Mckenzie has been a peer support volunteer for five years and facilitates a support group in Swift Current. She is the ceremony chair for Swift Current's Relay for Life and always enters a team.

Mckenzie also started her own blog and discussion forum called CancerConnection. She is writing a book on her experiences fighting cancer and life as a survivor.

"The fact that I got the gift of time," Mckenzie said. "I was diagnosed in 2004 so in October it will be 8 years survivor-ship. I think when you receive a gift like that you want to be of service and help others navigate the waters of that scary journey."

Mckenzie credits her faith with having gotten her through her own battle with stage 4 multiple melanoma.

She will receive the medal at a ceremony in Regina on May 4th.

Interview with Arlene Mckenzie: