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
Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
She was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father. Then life dealt her a blow
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Prince William and wife Kate thank public for birthday messages for son Louis
Prince William and his wife Kate thanked the public for their messages which had been sent to mark the sixth birthday of their youngest son Louis on Tuesday.
Quebec Health Department reports 28 cases of eye damage linked to solar eclipse
Quebec's Health Department says it has received 28 reports of eye damage related to the April 8 total solar eclipse that passed over southern parts of the province.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.