Natalie Kwadrans

In February 2019, I found a lump in my breast. Four weeks later, after tests and a biopsy, I heard the words, "You have cancer." It couldn’t be true—I was healthy, a former Team Canada snowboarder. My life was full: a young family, two dogs, a VP job, teaching at two universities, and a second Master’s degree in progress at HEC Paris, one of the world’s top schools.

But I had aggressive triple-positive breast cancer. Midway through chemo, I learned it had already spread to my bones. I was restaged to de novo, stage 4—terminal, with no cure. My prognosis was grim: a 22% chance of surviving five years. I should have died between February 2021 and 2022. Yet, against the odds, I’m still here.

Now, with the time I have left, I focus on my kids, my boyfriend, and using my voice—my story—to improve cancer care policies and push for cancer research in Canada.