Women of Influence is brought to you by Shoeless Joe’s Napanee.
Shae-Lynn Way has always played a huge role in her community. She began volunteering in Grade Nine and enjoyed it so much, she hasn’t stopped. She said she loves anything to do with children. Currently enrolled at the University of Ottawa in the Bachelor of Arts program with a focus on psychology, this driven 22-year-old hopes to one day be a social worker. She has just a few more courses to go before she completes her degree, and says that she may even investigate pursuing her Masters. This should come as no surprise to anyone who knows her, since Shae-Lynn excels in the classroom. Last semester she ended up on the honour roll, an incredible feat in university.
On March 20th, shortly after the province shut things down due to the pandemic, Shae-Lynn was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, forcing her to stay in the hospital for 43 days of treatment. Since her diagnosis, she’s maintained a positive attitude that would be inspirational to anyone. She feels staying positive builds her strength up, which enables her to continue to persevere and push forward. Shae-Lynn admits that there are some days when she struggles to remain positive, but adds she feels the best medicine for anyone in a challenging situation is to stay positive and look toward the light at the end of the tunnel, knowing that when you do come out on the other side, you will have accomplished so much. She says that when she has her “bad days” it really helps to have her family there, as they help lift her spirits. She says she has always been a positive person, and positivity in general has helped her get through so much.
Shae-Lynn says she’s lived by a couple of quotes – one she learned in the hospital when she had various infections related to her cancer. It was posted on a board in her hospital room and she says she would often repeat it to herself. “You are strong. You are beautiful. You are brave”. She says looking at that statement and repeating it reminded her that she can get through anything. Another favourite of hers is “The comeback is always stronger than the setback”. She says she has had a lot of setbacks in the past couple of months, but each time she comes back stronger and better. Speaking specifically to woman with cancer, Shae-Lynn says she knows that at times you can feel as if cancer will break you down, and at times you struggle with the fact that you feel it has taken your womanhood because it is such an ugly illness. But she adds the most important thing to remember is that you are beautiful, and your scars make you beautiful. She refers to her scars as her battle wounds, and says it is important to embrace them because they are a part of what makes you who you are.
When asked what she feels her biggest accomplishment is in life, Shae-Lynn says it is probably everything she has dealt with since her diagnosis on March 20th, because it has been the hardest thing she has ever faced.
