For over 20 years Cashmere Collection toilette paper has honoured Breast Cancer Awareness month with a fashion show unlike anything else in Toronto. This year, they return with some new elements to keep the show new and exciting!
As always, gowns and garments made of the luxurious Cashmere toilet paper with descend down the runway but this time people at home will be able to watch. This year’s show is on October 30, and Canadians can join the live stream at CashmereCollection.ca to vote for their favourite designer. Every vote donates $1 to the Canadian Cancer Society and Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation’s fight against breast cancer.
This year’s ambassador is Canadian icon Sangita Patel who recently went through thyroid cancer. She will join 20 cancer survivors in the Front Row for the Cause – a special front row dedicated to strength and resilience. Sangita Patel’s thyroid cancer diagnosis in 2023 was sudden. A cancer that affects three times as many women than men, Sangita made it her goal to show the entire treatment process – the good and bad days – to raise awareness of the disease and help Canadians going through cancer treatment feel like they were not alone.
Sangita told us that her diagnosis changed her world. “I did surgery once, then I did preventative surgery twice, and then I had RAI and I’m still healing from the process. Three weeks ago, I got news that I am cancer free, which is great news but it’s been a journey and It’s been a hurdle.”
Throughout this entire rollercoaster, Sangita has been in front of Camera’s shifting from Entertainment Tonight Canada to new roles. Despite this she’s been able to hold it together at work and find joy. “When you’re on air or you’re in the studio, nothing else matters. You’re doing your job, right? You kind of find a mental space where you don’t think about it. So that’s what I did. I lived my joy. I want to bring joy for other people. Anytime I was on camera, I wouldn’t think about the negative experiences I was having in my own life. When you’re off camera, you do start thinking about it. I wasn’t trying to feel the emotions of it until my last scan, when I had an uncontrollable cry and I just couldn’t keep it in anymore. I was just not facing it mentally. I knew it was there but I didn’t really acknowledge it.”
Being a TV personality, however, means that sharing this diagnoses opened Sangita up to a very public level of vulnerability. “When I first started this whole process and I talked about the biopsy, I wasn’t sure I wanted to post about this. I was in the car and I said, ‘I’m getting a biopsy and this is crazy that it’s happening’ and then I decided to post it. A journalist who I did an interview with, Lisa Laflamme, and she said to me, ‘you did something in this industry that most women fear to do’ and I didn’t think of it that way. I felt like the more I shared in this journey, I was going to help other people. I put my phone away after I posted it and I was nervous about it, but the response was insane. People felt comfortable sharing their own experiences to the point people were checking in on me. I have this incredible community on my social media page and that helped. People didn’t know about the way I did my surgeries, called TOTIVA. They’ve never heard of this type of surgery. That opened up doors. Now I’m working with UHN to raise funds to help more doctors do this type of surgery because there’s only one doctor who does it in Canada.” She adds, “There was this positive aspect that came out of it and people were feeling good about talking about their own known experience. Then all these people are helping each other on social media. I was very happy I did that. I continue to share the stories. I continue to talk about the diagnosis. In the last post where I was cancer free, this video went viral because people, I think, were just liberated and happy and celebrating and really defining what hope is.”
For Sangita, partnering with Cashmere and supporting the Canadian Cancer Society and Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation has been an easy partnership. “Cashmere has been doing a phenomenal job of raising funds with Canadian Cancer Society and Quebec Breast Cancer Foundation. On top of that they celebrate Canadian fashion. These amazing designers create one of a kind couture designs using Cashmere, really soft tissue paper. It’s incredible the designs they come up with. This year is going to be a little bit different as it’s going to be interactive. People from home can actually vote. The designs are just pieces of art. It’s incredible how they do it. I’m really excited to be working with them because they have such an incredible voice when it comes to breast cancer.”
To anyone who is going through a cancer scare or treatment right now, Sangita says to hold on to hope. “Joy is very different from happiness. You’ve got to find that joy within yourself. Happiness is things that happen in a day, where you buy a new house or you buy a new car. The joy is within yourself and I want people to feel that and understand to live life to the fullest. Even if you’re going through cancer, make those moments count. Don’t fall into this little hole. When I was going through this, I always turned myself to the positive aspect as hard as it was. I was making sure I was there for my girls and also being present while I was in pain or while I was going through it. I made sure I always looked for the positive aspects of life.”
Make sure to go to CashmereCollection.ca on October 30th at 7:30PM to watch the fashion show and donate, by voting on your favourite Cashmere Collection gown.
Hillary LeBlanc
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