Newmarket cancer patient Bonnie Luciano says she has had to battle through dark days with the help of Southlake Regional Health Centre.
The stage three breast cancer patient said she has experienced grief, anxiety and PTSD throughout her treatment. Friends and family treating her differently also became difficult, as she has a strong desire to not burden anybody.
It got to the point where Luciano said she thought about applying for Medical Assistance In Dying (MAID).
After nearly a year of treatment, while she still has the residual disease, Luciano said she is in a better place. Now, she wants to help others get through their journeys.
“It was a very deep, dark journey and at times you didn’t see the light. Once I started to see the light at the end of the tunnel again, I wanted to help other people through it,” she said. “But most importantly, I wanted to help either friends, family or caregivers just know a little bit more about what they can do.”
Luciano has launched Carebags, which are customized gift bags for people going through different experiences — from cancer patients and nurses or just someone you care for — filled with items like candles, socks, sweets, written messages and more.
Luciano said she has partnered with many different local businesses to supply items for her bags.
“I just want people to know sometimes if you don’t know what to say, here’s what you can do. I was just so tired of seeing people step away instead of stepping up,” she said, adding small gestures can go a long way for people struggling.
It has been a costly venture for Luciano, she said, but it is one she believes is worthwhile.
“I set my credit card on fire to do it because I wanted to do it, and I felt like I had to do it. I’ve always loved gift baskets,” Luciano said.
Part of it is about giving something back to the hospital that has cared for her. Luciano said she intends to donate at least 10 per cent of proceeds to Southlake Foundation.
She said she has been treated very well in her time there. Her treatments have been extensive, requiring a double mastectomy and chemotherapy.
“I had the best oncologist I could have ever asked for,” she said. “I’ve had really great experiences with my chemotherapy nurses.”
But her journey with Southlake has not been an easy one. In October 2023, she wrote a letter to NewmarketToday, a sister site of BarrieToday, highlighting her 13-hour visit to the emergency room at Southlake and the difficulties she experienced there.
Luciano said her intent was not to blame Southlake or its workers, but to highlight issues in the health-care system. The hospital readily acknowledges it has capacity issues due to growth in the region, and is working on an emergency room expansion while progressing plans for a second hospital site.
“I kicked and screamed my way through this,” Luciano said, adding she also experienced similar emergency room difficulties elsewhere that will keep her away from those spaces. “I won’t go to an emergency (room) unless I’m dying … We got a big problem. Government is not taking care of frontline health-care workers, and I think it’s a big slap in the face.
“We need to support the workers in there,” she added. “Everyone was overworked. It was just one of those things and I still see it … I’m hoping anything I do will help that situation.”
The contributors to Carebags are promoted them on social media.
Innisfil crochet artist Humble Hooks is adding “granny squares” to the bags that will have a thoughtful poem attached.
“It holds a special place in my heart,” Humble Hooks said on Instagram. “I am a huge advocate for mental health and I love the purpose of ‘Carebag’ so, obviously, I had to jump all over this opportunity. I absolutely love that these bags are all about self-love and self-care.”
Living with cancer has caused Luciano do some self-reflection. She worked as a barber before her treatment, a family business. After spending 25 years on the job, she said her treatments and health complications will render her unable to handle such a role going forward.
“I was a very vain person before. I had long hair. You wouldn’t recognize me,” she said. “I had to accept all that and understand. I had to put into a different part of beauty which is coming from the inside out. Working in the beauty industry, that was totally different. Now, I’m going with the inner beauty and kindness and care and tapping more into that side of me.”
Luciano said she hopes the effort can raise money for the hospital and help many people.
“I want to bring together a lot of small businesses and a lot of small, independent makers,” she said. “I’ve been feeling like that’s my family for the last year, next door (Southlake). I just want to help my family. They helped me. They kept me alive.”
You can find more information at carebag.ca.
