A whole Book of Hope: Astonishing stories from astonishing people

Editor Katłı̨̀ą Lafferty, Author Agnes Pascal, Researcher Sara Komarnisky of The Book of Hope, Healthcare and Survival in the North

Photo: Amos Scott, Adze Studios

Do you know someone who is an absolute tour de force, someone with a deep, deep well of seemingly boundless energy from which they draw upon to help others? I’m married to one. Sometimes the activity level, especially around construction projects, can be dizzying. But what astounds me the most is that he’s kept his high-level capacity to keep moving in giving ways through chemo-radiation, post-op complications and ongoing chronic physical limitations that stem from his successful assault on cancer.

That’s a special kind of fortitude. Agnes Pascal has it too, and she’s seen it and heard it in the dozens of northerners she’s helped navigate their way through the shocking pain of cancer diagnosis, treatments and aftercare. Agnes is a Tetlit Gwich’in, originally from Fort McPherson, Northwest Territories. She founded the Inuvik Cancer Support Group in 2018 after being diagnosed with breast cancer because she knew from experience it was needed.

I met Agnes in Inuvik in March 2023. She was a student with the Northern Journalism Training Initiative pilot project and I was a co-instructor. There were interviews to select the project’s first cohort. Agnes spoke passionately about a book she was working on, a series of interviews with cancer survivors in the North. She figured she’d self-publish it and needed some news skills, some guidance, to see it through. Her passion and drive were undeniable. Of course we wanted her in the program.

 Well, that book is having its Yellowknife launch this Tuesday at the Yellowknife Bookstore and I get the privilege of being the MC. The Book of Hope, Healthcare and Survival in the North made its way into the hands of some influential people, including Yellowknives Dene author and environmental law advocate Katłı̨̀ą Lafferty, who introduced it to her publisher, Fernwood Publishing. Hotıì ts’eeda, a research support unit hosted by the Tłı̨chǫ Government, also became a sponsor. Then Northwords Festival became involved. This is the synergy of hope.

In addition to 29 courageous, unflinchingly honest accounts from northerners about their cancer journeys, Book of Hope includes a substantial preface by co-editors Agnes Pascal, Katłı̨̀ą Lafferty and independent researcher Sara Komarnisky that lays out a much-needed historical context and framework for the unique challenges of healthcare accessibility in the North.

Complete with maps that detail the vast distances of medical travel required for patients in the Northwest Territories to Alberta hospitals that sometimes can take days, and a reminder of the intergenerational impacts of residential schools and the racism endured at segregated “Indian hospitals,” Book of Hope is a must-read for any healthcare professionals already here, or coming to the North on locums. Within the first-hand accounts of people using the system are potent calls for change.

But what stays with me the most from reading this incredible collection is how patients battle fear, grief, hopelessness and isolation – sometimes weeks away from family and friends while undergoing treatments – with the superpower of love. There are insights into traditional medicine and spirituality that illuminate Indigenous ways that not so long ago were outlawed under colonial rule. This is a book about the strength that comes from community and relationships.

The Canadian Cancer Society estimates that about 2 in 5 Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetime, and one in four will die from cancer. No one gets through this life on earth without being touched by this disease in one way or another. There are powerful and astonishing stories in Book of Hope that speak to everyone.

This is me and Agnes at the end of the four-week Northern Journalism Training Initiative pilot project in Inuvik, NT, March 2023

Like my husband’s relentless helping hands on construction projects, Agnes has continued to build more foundations for northerners seeking wellness. She has a counselling certification now. She’s unstoppable.

 I look forward to reconnecting with her at the book launch and if you’re in Yellowknife, I encourage you to join us. Many of the interviewees will be there too. It will be a gathering of storytellers of extraordinary fortitude.