For our 18th year of Gregorpalooza, we are very excited to be honouring an incredible woman named Liz Armstrong. Liz came highly recommended by many people, and anyone who spends even a little time with her will quickly understand why. Her kindness, compassion, and zest for life are clearly visible from the moment you meet her.
Liz was born in England but immigrated to Canada at the age of 19 to become a nanny. She worked as a nanny for three years before meeting her first husband. At the age of 24, she welcomed her first child, a daughter named Alex, and two years later, her son Thomas was born. In the midst of raising her young children, Liz made what she describes as the best decision of her life: she decided to become a nurse.
For the past 19 years, Liz has worked for Bayshore Home Care Solutions, providing the highest quality of care to members of our society who need it most. Around that time, Liz met her second husband, and the two have been happily married ever since.
In 2018, Liz and her husband made the decision to move to Elliot Lake. She transferred within her company and was able to continue working in the field she loved, right here in our community. She was initially unsure of what she was getting into but quickly fell in love with Elliot Lake and its people.
When describing Elliot Lake, she said:
“I became a nurse to make a difference in people’s lives with empathy, respect, dignity and humour but I have received all that back ten fold from this community. This community helps me as much as I help them. The friends I have made are for life.”
Unfortunately, Liz's battle with cancer has been a long and difficult one. She was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2009. For most people, this is a highly treatable form of cancer, but unfortunately, Liz was not so lucky. After having her thyroid removed and undergoing follow-up treatment, it was discovered that her cancer markers were once again rising. As a result, in 2013, she began another round of treatment. This, too, was unsuccessful, and over time, her cancer markers continued to rise.
In 2024, cancer was discovered in both her spine and pelvic bone. Since then, she has undergone several rounds of radiation to reduce the cancer, but unfortunately, there is no cure.
As with most battles with cancer, Liz's comes with a significant financial burden. After exhausting her own benefits and Trillium grants, Liz has had to pay out of pocket for her medications. In addition, she must regularly travel out of town for tests and treatments, and as we can all attest, gas isn't cheap.
Due to the side effects of fighting cancer, Liz has also had to take significant amounts of time off work. With every recipient of Gregorpalooza, we are reminded of a hard, undeniable truth about fighting cancer: it costs a lot of money at the exact same time that it severely limits your ability to earn money.
This is where we come in.
On a personal note, I want to share what happened when I first met Liz.
In September of last year, my father became very sick with an extremely aggressive form of cancer. In a matter of days (and that is not an exaggeration), he went from being the dad I had known my whole life to being bedridden and facing imminent death.
Liz came into our home, having never met any of us before, and instantly brought light into the darkest days our family had ever experienced. Her competence, spirit, humour, and compassion made us all feel at ease and, most importantly, made my dad feel at ease.
She made my dad's last days on this earth ones filled with dignity, warmth, empathy, and even moments of joy and laughter.
That is borderline supernatural.
I am also under no impression that our family was somehow special. This is simply what Liz does and who she is.
For years in this community, and for nearly two decades across the province, Liz has brought light into families' homes when they have been at their darkest. You can still see this dedication in the way she speaks about her desire to continue working, even after everything she has been through.
“My passion is my work, so getting back to what I love was very important to me. My prognosis is not favourable but I am staying strong and getting on with life. I have had to cut back on my hours at work as I struggle with stiffness and pain. It has slowed me down somewhat, but it hasn’t stopped my positive attitude and hope. It certainly affects my paycheck though.”
Well, Elliot Lake, it is time for us to do what we do best.
When one of us is down, we help them back up.
Just as we have seventeen times before, it is time for us all to step up and show Liz that she is not alone in this fight.
She has us, the Gregorpalooza army, behind her, and we are going to do absolutely everything we can to bring light into Liz's life, just as she has done for others for so many years.
In short, let's help Liz so she can get back to what she loves most: helping us.
Donate today, buy tickets, buy a T-shirt, spread the word, and then donate again!
Let's all show this incredible woman what it means to be an Elliot Laker.
Let's all show this incredible woman what it means to be an Elliot Laker.
Well Elliot Lake, it is time for us to do what we do best. When one of us is down, we help them back up. Just like we have seventeen times before, it is time for us to all step up and show Liz that she is not alone in this fight. She has us, the Gregorpalooza army behind her and we are going to do absolutely everything we can to bring light into Liz’s life, just like she has done for others for over half of her life. In short, let's help Liz so she can get back to what she loves most, helping us. Donate today, buy tickets, buy a t-shirt, spread the word and then donate again and let's all show this incredible woman what it means to be an Elliot Laker.