Supporting Women with Cancer

Michele Strocen's dream

Photos can help tell a wonderful story.

The ‘before and after’ pictures of Michele Strocen’s living room in her Saskatoon home help tell the story of her journey through the Cameco Riders Touchdown for Dreams program.

Initially diagnosed with lymphoma, Michele chose to move to the Bridge City to be closer to family and her medical team. “We were fortunate to find the home that we did in Saskatoon, but it was missing the fireplace that I had in my previous home,” Michele says. “So, I decided to make this my dream since home is very important to me.”

After adjudicating applications from cancer patients across Saskatchewan, the partners behind the program selected Michele last spring and began the search to find the perfect contracting firm to make the dream a reality.

Thankfully, the owners of Bella Vista Developments stepped forward – and transformed Michele’s living room.

“I am thrilled with the end result and would recommend the contractor to everyone,” Michele exclaims. “It has been very enjoyable this winter. A very special thank you to Cameco, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan, the Saskatchewan Cancer Agency and Bella Vista Developments.”

Bev Lutz's story

Bev Lutz was almost speechless when NHL superstar Sidney Crosby walked towards her in a quiet hallway at ice level in PPG Paints Arena – the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins. On that Saturday night in December, Bev’s dream was coming true in front of her eyes.

Almost 10 months earlier, Bev had applied to the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan to have her dream granted through the Cameco Riders Touchdown for Dreams program. Her dream was to watch Sidney Crosby play a home game in Pittsburgh.

“I was at the Allan Blair Cancer Centre in Regina receiving my chemo treatment when I got the phone call that my dream was going to come true,” remembers Bev. “The smile on my face when I called my family that I was a winner did not go away for that whole day.”

Bev wanted to share her dream with her entire family, so her husband, two sons and daughter-in-law were by her side when the family was flown to Pittsburgh to watch the Penguins play the Buffalo Sabres in December.

Wearing her Sidney Crosby jersey, Bev departed a downtown Pittsburgh hotel 90 minutes before opening faceoff that Saturday in an Uber ride knowing she would see her favourite player on the ice that night – but she was completely unaware of the surprises to come in the next few hours.

Quietly in the background for weeks, the Penguins organization and their community ambassador/broadcaster, Colby Armstrong (a former Saskatoon resident), were planning for her visit.

Bev arrived to the arena and received her first surprise: luxury box tickets for her entire family next to centre ice. Armstrong then surprised Bev with a visit to the box during the third period.

But the best was yet to come when Crosby surprised Bev with a private meet-and-greet outside the Penguins locker room at the conclusion of the game. After scoring two goals and being named first star, Crosby left Bev searching for words when he introduced himself and handed her an autographed puck from the game.

“The best surprise was meeting Sidney. Having the dream come true helped keep my mind off the (cancer) fight,” says Bev. “I still talk about that trip every time I am watching a Pittsburgh home game on TV.”

Bev is battling lung cancer and regularly carries an oxygen tank. But after meeting Crosby on that memorable night, she declined an offer for an Uber ride back to the hotel. As she left the arena, she practically floated the eight blocks home to the hotel.

The Cameco Riders Touchdown for Dreams program is a partnership between Cameco, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan.