Imagine being told not once, but twice that your painful death was imminent.
Holly Albersworth was initially diagnosed with Stage 3 bilateral metastatic breast cancer in 2011 and has had six reoccurrences, eight surgeries, more than 100 chemo treatments and countless rounds of radiation.
“Doctors still question how I am alive,” says the mother of two boys.
“I am happy to be a miracle.”
In 2013 and again in 2015, she was told she had months, at the most, to live. In April 2017, her left arm and some of her left shoulder were amputated to save her life.
She is a passionate advocate for all afflicted with cancer and has given motivational speeches throughout Alberta.
“I talk about resilience, adaptability, hope, and being able to control one’s own thoughts,” she says.
“Humour can be found in anything (even cancer treatments).”
Muriel Bostick, Albersworth’s friend and former colleague, says many people have told her what a profound impact Albersworth has had on them.
“They are inspired by her and they feel if Holly can go through this ordeal with such grace, positivity and gratitude for being alive, then their problems seem so minor in comparison,” says Bostick.
Albersworth is beating the odds again by currently teaching part time at the Airdrie Bow Valley College campus and taking her master of education: adult, community, and higher education at the University of Calgary.