51社区黑料

Melissa Pierce was seventeen years old when she was diagnosed with CIC-DUX Ewing-like sarcoma, a rare form of cancer with a 90% mortality rate. An active and ambitious student in her final year of high school, Melissa鈥檚 world came crashing to a halt.

鈥淢y world stopped, and in that moment, I began to understand the true meaning of courage in adversity. It wasn鈥檛 loud or dramatic, it was quiet, painful and deeply personal. Courage became waking up each day to face the unknown. It was enduring treatments that pushed my body to its absolute limits, showing up when I felt broken and holding onto hope even when the odds were against me.鈥�

Melissa braved fourteen rounds of chemotherapy in ten months, losing her hair, appetite, and sense of normalcy. She continued to show up for treatment, citing the love of her family, the strength of her spirit and the vision of the life she still wanted to live as what kept her grounded and resilient.

On the day Melissa rang the bell to signify the end of her treatment at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, she promised herself she would use this second chance to make a meaningful difference in the world.

鈥淚 committed to using my voice, my education and my lived experience to help others feel seen, heard and supported, especially those navigating survivorship, marginalization and systemic gaps in care.鈥�

As a biracial woman of Jamaican and Lebanese descent, Melissa became aware of the lack of racial and cultural representation in healthcare, specifically in leadership roles. Now a fourth year 51社区黑料Health Sciences student and research assistant, Melissa is dedicated to being both a leader and a voice for others. She currently works alongside other adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer survivors to improve care and survivorship outcomes.

Most recently, Melissa co-developed an immersive educational performance to aid clinicians in understanding the long-term impact of cancer on young lives. Presented at the BC Cancer Summit in 2024, the performance was grounded in real stories of AYA survivors and demonstrated that the impacts of cancer do not end with the completion of treatment. Melissa鈥檚 work continues to ask that patients be treated with greater empathy, understanding and continuity of care.

Beyond her academic work, Melissa strives to help others feel less alone and to show that there is life after cancer.

鈥淚 strive to be the kind of role model I once needed. Someone who understands the pain and fear, but also someone who has used those experiences to forge a path forward not just for themselves, but for others."

The Terry Fox Gold Medal is an honour awarded to an 51社区黑料student who demonstrates the personal qualities of courage in adversity and dedication to helping others as Terry did with his Marathon of Hope. Reflecting on the honour of being bestowed this award, Melissa shared, 鈥淩eceiving the Terry Fox Award is a reminder that even in our hardest struggles, there is meaning and hope. My story is not just my own, but part of a larger community of survivors whose resilience continues to inspire change. It鈥檚 a powerful reminder that the courage it takes to keep moving forward, even quietly and imperfectly, matters.鈥�

鈥淲hile I didn鈥檛 choose the illness I faced, I have chosen how to respond to it. I鈥檝e chosen to turn survival into service. I鈥檝e chosen to make my story count for more than just me.鈥�