In the Fall of 2022 I was diagnosed with a tumour in my throat. My voice had been reduced to a rough hoarseness and limited endurance that was interfering with life and work. While waiting for a biopsy, I was plunged into an intense journey that brought me to laying my voice down, trusting that if I was going to lose it permanently, somehow in someway, God would bring life out of it. Five months later, the biopsy revealed it was not cancerous, and when the specialist did a scope of my throat in followup, the tumour was gone. I was told I should have full recovery soon. I was elated and filled with gratitude to have my voice given back to me.

Except it didn't play out that way. Months later, I still didn't have range or endurance or my full voice back. This began the second leg of the journey that I phrased as "giving up the voice I had been using, so I could use the voice I had been given". I began working with a voice coach and I am still on the journey. It is rigorous, often monotonous, and essential (kind of like a long bike ride). There are times I am encouraged at the sound and strength of my own voice. I still do various exercises daily to ensure my voice holds out for the day. My coach recently emailed me to say I still have a ways to go (these things do take time).

It is not lost on me that my work and life's heartbeat has been about being a voice for the voiceless and those who are not heard. This is especially true when they have been silenced by being forcibly displaced, whether from their home down the street from me, or from the country they were born in and loved. 

I have come to hold as precious the voice I have been given, knowing deeply now just how quickly it can be lost and what that would mean for me. Love, Sweat and Gears, is more than a fundraising event for me. It is taking the voice I have been given out on the road, and riding for those whose voice has been taken away by others. It is bringing together a goal for my own wellbeing with a passion to see others supported as they seek to rebuild their lives, and find their voice again.

I will be supporting COMPASS Refugee Centre, the charity I lead as Executive Director. We have helped over 12,000 people through the years navigate the refugee claim process, rebuild their lives, and be reunited with their families. Several stay connected even years later, annually sending a thank you for how we heard them, and helped. 

I am thankful for the good work of Blue Sea Foundation that provides an opportunity to go all in, and rise to a new challenge on behalf of the people I see everyday. It will be an unforgettable experience for me!

Thank you for donating to ensure unforgettable life-change for others.