Marlene’s Battle

Hi everyone. This is something we’ve been quite private about over the last several weeks. We just needed some time to process as a family and figure out our next steps.

Just before Mother’s Day in May, James’ mom Marlene (Tolsma) Balsdon was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Unfortunately there are several other factors within her diagnosis that make this especially difficult. With each new appointment, came more unexpected news & what we initially thought she was up against become a bigger battle. Marlene has just started her intensive chemotherapy & will be having chemo for the next 5 months. Additionally after chemo there will be a surgery, followed by radiation. That is all we know for sure as of right now. Marlene is having to deal with all of this & the recent loss of her Dad (Louis Tolsma) just last week.

Although we are extremely lucky to live in Canada, there is still a huge financial burden on Marlene as she continues to battle cancer. For example, some of the medication she needs for during chemo is not fully covered, leaving a pretty hefty bill for her to have to figure out on top of everything else. She is off work for the foreseeable future & our goal of course is for her to be able to put all her energy into healing & getting better. It’s going to be a really long road.

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting Marlene. You already know this. But if you haven’t, let me tell you a little about her. She is one of the most incredible women you’ll ever meet. She’s a dedicated wife, sister, mother, nana & friend. She is kind & compassionate. She’s also never asked anyone for anything but is the first to jump in to help others when they need it. I know these are often qualities we hear about in people, but she truly embodies them all of the time. She’s just so special.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for reading this. If you’re able to help at all in any way, we truly can’t thank you enough.