'We're in this together': Sask. woman spreading joy to other cancer warriors through crocheted keychains
A Saskatchewan woman is focusing on bringing happiness to other people who are battling cancer as she fights the disease herself.
In May 2022, Marielle Dionne was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.
“I had surgery in October. I’ve been through five treatments of chemotherapy and 25 radiation treatments. Now, I’m on immunotherapy for a year,” she said.
During her first chemotherapy treatment, Dionne said she noticed it was very quiet.
“I thought ‘oh gosh, I wish I could do something to bring a bit of conversation to the place,’” she said.
When she got home that day, she started brainstorming with her daughter Adelle, who is also fighting cancer.
They started searching for ideas online.
“That’s where I got the idea for the ribbon keychains,” Dionne said.
“I thought ‘gee, maybe this will make people talk a little bit and converse about their cancer while they’re at treatment.’”
Dionne started crocheting cancer ribbons in July, forming them into keychains.
She makes them in 21 different colours, which symbolize different forms of cancer.
“[Patients] can take the colour of their cancer if they want to show that they have a certain cancer, or they can take their favourite colour,” Dionne said.
She started off making 10 ribbons of every colour - 210 in total. Now about six months later, she’s made 654 and counting.
“I can whip them up in 10 minutes, but then I pin them all and starch them. They have to stay overnight. I also have a poem that I put with each one,” she said. “That’s what takes time.”
Fighting the disease has not been easy, but Dionne said this project keeps her busy while also bringing smiles to people who are in a similar position.
“I wanted them to know that they’re fighters. They’re warriors,” she said.
“They have a battle. They’re there because they’re fighting cancer the same way I’m fighting cancer. The same way my daughter is fighting cancer. I want them to know that they are important. It’s my way of showing them that we’re in this together.”
Adelle Dionne, Marielle’s daughter, said fighting cancer along side her mom hasn’t been easy, but it has brought them closer.
“I don’t wish it upon anyone, but we’re strong together,” Adelle said.
“[The ribbons] keeps her mind off treatment and to see her happy makes me happy.”
Dionne has started getting requests for her keychains from across the country. She has sent them as far as Ontario and British Columbia.
As she continues immunotherapy for a year, Dionne said she plans to keep creating keychains to spread a little joy to the people who need it.
“My plan is to continue until my daughter and I are free of cancer,” Dionne said.
“She and I will take a picture underneath the cancer free sign at the Allan Blair [Cancer Centre].”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
Incident on Calgary's Reconciliation Bridge comes to safe resolution
Nearly 20 hours after a man climbed and remained perched on top of the Reconciliation Bridge in downtown Calgary, the situation came to a peaceful resolution.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
'We won't forget': How some Muslims view Poilievre's stance on Israel-Hamas war
A spokesman for a regional Muslim advocacy group says Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre's stance on the Israel-Hamas war could complicate his party's relationship with Muslim Canadians.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.