To help provide reassurance and guidance to NWT residents struggling with cancer, Gwich’in author Agnes Pascal recently held two launch events for her new release, Book of Hope: Healthcare and Survival in the North.
The first event was held at the Nihat Gwich’in Council building in Inuvik on Monday, May 26th, while the second was held at Yellowknife Books on Tuesday the 27th. Each event saw Pascal joined by contributors to the book as they shared their stories, read passages from the book, and took questions from the audience.
As a cancer survivor herself, Pascal shared that her drive to create this book largely came from her own experience.
“I saw that there was a need for support for people who were experiencing cancer, and not just the patient, but also their family, and even the whole community. A lot of us northerners were facing cancer, and there was barely any support offered to us, so there was nothing for us to take advantage of in such a scary time in our lives.
“So when we started the cancer support group, that’s where I really saw the importance of connection and where I heard stories of how courageous these survivors are when talking about their journey.”
Now that the book is released, Pascal says that she feels incredibly blessed. Initially, she had expected the project to amount to ten stories that could be read in waiting rooms. As the project continued, more people learned of the effort and became interested in adding their stories to the mix, which eventually expanded the scope of the book, which now includes accounts from thirty different cancer patients.
A good-sized crowd was on hand Tuesday Night at Yellowknife Books to meet Gwich’in Author Agnes Pascal and to mark the launch of her new book, titled “Book of Hope: Healthcare and Survival in the North.” (Connor Pitre/CKLB)
One of those contributors, Sabet Biscaye, shared her reasons for wanting to be part of this project.
“If you look at my home community, Fort Resolution, I would think that every home in that community has been touched by cancer. We’ve all been affected in different forms, and I think that’s why I wanted to tell my story when I was first approached. It’s because it does have an impact on you, and you don’t realize it.
“People who know me, on the outside I still look the same, but my insides have been changed, and you have to learn to live with that. You have to learn to adjust to it.
“Nobody else knows how you feel, only you know how you feel. And so if you don’t feel well, you need to fight for yourself. You need to advocate for yourself. You need to make people listen to you, especially the healthcare professionals. Sometimes they’ll argue with you, but you know how you feel, so it’s up to you to make sure people understand how you’re feeling, both physically and mentally.”
Book of Hope has been available for purchase since late April, and contains many unique stories that Pascal hopes will resonate with people who may be going through similar situations today.
