Written By: Eric Chiniara
When you love someone, you want to do everything you can to make all their moments in this life happy ones, and to stand by their side through the difficult ones. When my wife Julia was diagnosed with ovarian cancer on September 2, 2020, my first instinct was to be strong for her. I needed to be by her side. There was no question in my mind.
In those early days, I put on a brave face for us both. I don’t think I had time really to process what was happening, I was just trying to hold on to anything I could. But at night, when everything was quiet, I’d cry quietly, because I can’t imagine a life without Julia. She is everything I’m not. She’s free-spirited and adventurous. When my mind says, “Don’t do that, it’s dangerous,” her mind says, “I wonder what it would feel like to experience that.” She’s helped me become the person I always hoped I would be. A person I am proud to be.
Despite everything she’s been through, my wife has never stopped being a force of nature. Who else finishes chemo and heads straight to the gym? When I look at her and think about my own daily stress, I ask myself – how big are they really? She has taught me to focus on the bigger picture. Ovarian cancer has given us some of our hardest years, but also our most beautiful, because of all we’ve accomplished together, and I am committed to showing up for her.
I spent two weeks sleeping in the hospital chair with her. Within days of her diagnosis, on September 18, 2020, we got married.
Ovarian Cancer Canada has been essential in helping us navigate this disease. Through all of this, their team has been deeply supportive, knowledgeable, and dedicated. They were there for us when we needed it most. They are driving research into early detection, prevention, care, and survivorship that will ensure no woman has to go through what Julia has. I honestly don’t know if we would’ve made it through some of the most critical moments without them.
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This journey has changed us both. I’ve learned to listen better. We talk about everything – life, death, love, fear. And I’ve made peace with my emotions, it helped me grieve what we’ve lost. But also helped me find purpose. We all carry pain. But the question isn’t why we suffer; some things can’t be explained. The real question is: what do we do with it? I believe we can give meaning to our lives through purpose. Through action.
This isn’t just about what we’ve lost; it’s about what we can build. What our story can leave behind, so that what we’ve been through doesn’t happen to anyone else. Even our deepest frustrations, sadness, and anger can be transformed into something good. Something powerful. Something that helps Canadians today and future generations at risk of ovarian cancer. That’s why I’m sharing our story.
We are using everything we’ve been through to advocate for change. But our story is not unique. Every year, thousands of families across Canada go through exactly what we’ve been through. The future we’d planned looks so different now, as will theirs. Women deserve more time, and the only way we’re going to get there is by ensuring that the progress we’ve made continues. Research takes time, and breakthroughs don’t happen overnight, but across Canada, researchers are getting closer every day.
This work needs your support – because the need for breakthroughs is urgent. This disease is complex. Too many people are facing it without answers, without options, without time.
So please: take action. Make a donation. Talk to your community. Stand with us.