Ontario woman gets surgery date after having life-saving cancer procedure postponed repeatedly due to COVID-19
A 30-year-old Ontario woman whose cancer surgery was postponed multiple times because of COVID-19 has secured a new date for her procedure.
Woodbridge, Ont. woman Cassandra Di Maria was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer in 2020 and has undergone 17 rounds of chemotherapy since then.
She stopped chemotherapy treatment in October to prepare for surgery, but it was postponed multiple times, leaving her "at a stand still."
She feared her cancer would spread by the time she got a new surgery date and it would be too late for the procedure to have any benefit.
On Friday evening, the 30-year-old said she received a call from an advocate at the Colorectal Cancer Resource and Action Network notifying her the surgery has been rescheduled for Jan. 26.
Woodbridge, Ont. woman Cassandra Di Maria, right, was diagnosed with cancer in 2019 and has undergone 17 rounds of chemotherapy since then. (Supplied)
She said the organization contacted her and fought on her behalf after she went public with her cancer battle earlier this week.
Di Maria said the organization reached out to her surgeon and they were able to arrange a new date for her surgery at Mount Sinai Hospital.
"I'm super relieved. Fight for your life and good things will happen," Di Maria told CTV News Toronto on Saturday. "I just hope it inspires people to really stand up for themselves."
In a statement to CTV News Toronto earlier this week, Mount Sinai Hospital said they are currently working at 43 per cent of their surgical capacity.
"We know that any delay in care is stressful to our patients and their families, and our surgical teams are working to ensure timely access to care," a spokesperson for the hospital said.
Di Maria, who recently got engaged, said she wants to get past this hurdle so she can look forward to other things in life, like planning her wedding set for April 2023.
"I can finally have this surgery, recover, and hopefully move on with my life, putting this all behind me."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Oh my God, you're my brother': Man in his 70s discovers 6 unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
Just how bad are ultraprocessed foods? Here are 5 things to know
Many foods fall under the category of ultraprocessed foods, depending on their exact ingredients. This type of food has been studied a lot lately, and the results aren’t great.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Rates of cancer declining in Canada, but more work needed to save lives: projections
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
DEVELOPING Trump trial arrives at a pivotal moment: Star witness Michael Cohen is poised to take the stand
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial is set to take the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
India's mammoth election is more than halfway done as millions begin voting in fourth round
Millions of Indians across 96 constituencies began casting their ballots on Monday as the country's gigantic, six-week-long election edges past its halfway mark. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is seeking a third straight term with an eye on winning a supermajority in Parliament.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.