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I found the love of my life

Tom Frohlich's Story

Vancouver, British Colombia
November 2, 2016

Tom with Erin and Kids

I met Erin back when we both worked in London. Right from the start, I loved her energy and how she could always make me laugh. It was pretty clear early on that she was the one.

Erin was diagnosed with ovarian cancer when she was 36 weeks pregnant. As a spouse, watching the chemo and radiation take a toll on her was incredibly difficult. Erin tried to keep life at home as normal as possible for our kids, but there was little I could do to help her through the difficult side effects. But Erin, being the amazing women that she is, wanted to channel her cancer diagnosis into an opportunity for raising awareness and helping other women.

After completing her treatments, she decided she wanted to run 5KM at The Vancouver Walk. She wanted to take her cancer diagnosis and make it a positive force in our lives. As a result, something remarkable happened. I watched my wife go from not having the energy to get out of bed to running a 5KM. It was incredible seeing her determination and resilience. Even with two young children at home and a hectic schedule, she made her health a priority and trained for 6 months to prepare for her run.

At the end of the race, my 3 year old son, Robertson, and I could see Erin rounding the corner towards the finish line. We met her at last 50 metres and I watched as the two of them ran across the finish line holding hands. The Walk gave Erin the opportunity to meet other survivors and families. She loved it. The Walk gave my family access to an entire ovarian cancer community and we can’t wait to run the Walk again - as a family - next year. 

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Tom Frohlich