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Feature Stories

Dillon Buzan: Already a cancer survivor at 20 years old

Written by LANDON WESLEY
Created: 03 December 2013

Next month, Buzan begins university with a new outlook after beating back leukemia in record time

Buzan Pierard4thumbHave you ever had that feeling that things in your life are too good to be true?

This was the case for 20-year-old Dillon Buzan who had just spent his summer working at Our Lady Queen of Peace Ranch near Bragg Creek as a camp counselor. It was the best job he ever had, as it gave him a chance to work outdoors, be physically active and develop new friendships. He also met a fellow counselor named Katie Pierard, who became his girlfriend.

"It was the best time of my life," he says.

As camp was coming to an end, Buzan anticipated starting Mount Royal University.

That was until he noticed a lump on his neck during the last few weeks of summer. Everyone at camp told him it was likely just a swollen lymph node, nothing to worry about.

Read more ...

Stacie-Rae Weir: Using tattooing as healing

Written by VERONICA POCZA
Created: 18 December 2013

Stacie-Rae Weir helps women post-mastectomy

tattoothumbIt's a quiet afternoon inside Stacie-Rae Weir's studio, Sacred Space. The artist, making herself comfortable at her "second home," leans back in her desk chair. She turns up the metal music she's selected from her sleek apple desktop, acknowledging that it may clash with the intended ambiance of the studio.

The quaint and clean space is calm and inviting, painted with pastel colors and immersed in soft scents. It feels perfectly suitable for healing services. Few may realize the main service is tattooing, specifically for women seeking areola — the area of the nipple that is removed during a mastectomy — reconstructive services.

Weir tucks her bright red-streaked hair behind her pierced and stretched ears, placing her head in her hands. Her colourful arms are a portfolio of art and read the words "luck" and "love" when placed together. She takes a deep breath.

Read full story here (PDF)

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