'She wanted to help people:' Calgary breast cancer research advocate, 39, dies after disease metastasized
A young mother who openly shared her experience with terminal breast cancer on social media and called for government changes in research and screening has died.
Elizabeth Wilson, or Libby, as she was known, first spoke with CTV News in February 2020, after starting a petition calling for self-breast exams to be part of Alberta's education curriculum.
She was 35 then and had just received treatment for breast cancer.
She hadn't known the diagnosis was possible at that age.
Over the course of treatments throughout the next four years, Libby amassed a large following on social media, where she explained her struggles and pains and fundraised for numerous cancer research organizations.
She died in hospital on Aug. 31 at age 39, leaving behind her husband and four-year-old daughter Violet.
"She was unbelievably kind. She wanted to help people. She went out of her way," said Jerit Wilson, Libby's husband.
"She wanted to show the real side of the disease and how it affects people and people flocked to that. (They) realized it's OK to talk about the struggles that you have with this."
"I remember we'd go to these procedures, and she'd go, 'I need a video of this.' I don't think the doctors or nurses understood why she wanted that but that's because she wanted to show the reality of what living with the disease was," said Kimberly Porter, Libby's sister.
Libby's family says in lieu of flowers, she wished for donations to be made in her honour to various causes, such as treatments and support for metastatic breast cancer.
"I think she would just want the future to be better for the people that come after her and have to face that disease. I think she would want there to be treatments. I know she spent a lot of her life fundraising," Porter said.
"She was unbelievably kind. She wanted to help people. She went out of her way." (Supplied)
Both Porter and Wilson say they are overwhelmed by the outpouring of comments and messages from Libby's thousands of followers.
They hope her legacy and advocacy will live on.
Libby also loved photography and volunteered at the Drop-In Centre, helping clients with resumes and headshots.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Signs of Alzheimer’s were everywhere. Then his brain improved
Blood biomarkers of telltale signs of early Alzheimer’s disease in the brain of his patient, 55-year-old entrepreneur Simon Nicholls, had all but disappeared in a mere 14 months.
Flammable kids' sleepwear, salmonella-contaminated chips: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued recalls for various items this week, including kids' bassinets, chips, and stoves. Here's what to watch out for.
The secret Italian lakes that most tourists don't know about
Italy has dozens of secret smaller lakes that boast superb scenery, unknown to mass tourism, where locals get together on day trips and enjoy picnics.
Lyon-bound Air Canada Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner from Montreal turns back midflight due to pressurization alert
Passengers heading from Montreal to Lyon, France on Friday were forced to return home and depart the next day after a pressurization indication was detected in flight.
Oilers dominate Canucks, win to force deciding Game 7
The Edmonton Oilers avoided elimination from the NHL playoffs Saturday night, beating the visiting Vancouver Canucks 5-1 in Game 6 of their second-round series.
Box tree moths have infested Ontario and experts say more are coming. Here's what to do to protect your garden
An invasive moth species is on the rise in Canada and, if you've planted a certain shrub, it could stand to ruin your garden.
The eight most expensive homes for sale in Ottawa this spring
Ottawa's ultra luxury housing market is blooming like the tulips this spring, with a significant increase in the number of homes sold worth more than $2 million.
B.C. pipeline company argues its 'haulers' are not trucks, for tax purposes
A contractor working on the Coastal GasLink pipeline has been denied more than $333,000 worth of tax rebates because pieces of machinery it purchased – and claimed were not trucks – were deemed sufficiently truck-like in B.C. Supreme Court.
From DVDs to rehearsals: Halifax theatre company transforms Video Difference building into arts hub
2b Theatre recently moved into the old Video Difference building, seeking to transform it into an artistic hub, meeting space, and temporary housing unit for visiting performers in Halifax.