Pink Tulip Ambassador, Catherine Wilson

Why is being involved with The Pink Tulip Foundation important to you?

I believe that it is important for young girls to have access to information regarding breast cancer prevention. The sooner girls know how to live a healthy lifestyle and be happy, the more inclined they might be to make positive choices that will help them in the short and long term of their lives.

What can you not live without?

Art. I love the feeling of being engrossed in my artistic creations. It makes me forget about my stresses and calms me down. For me, art is therapy. After painting or drawing for an hour, or so, I feel completely at ease and remarkably healthy. It is the time where I am able to reflect on my day, and it allows me to let go of all of my tensions in order to smile.

Who is someone you admire, and why?

Sophia DeJonge, my mom and the founder of The Pink Tulip Foundation. She was a remarkable person, without whom the Foundation would never have been created. As I was growing up, her main concern was making sure my siblings and I ate and lived healthy. Without her, I would never have been as driven to raise awareness of breast cancer prevention for younger sisters and my friends.

What is one of the biggest challenges you have faced, and how did you overcome it?

When I was a child, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. I have grown up in a house full of organic food, active living choices, and numerous trips to the Princess Margaret Hospital for my mom’s chemotherapy and radiation sessions. However, in my mind, my mom was like any other mom and even more: loved by all, determined, fun, and incredibly strong. She always made everything better. She never wanted her kids to see her as anything less. When she created The Pink Tulip Foundation, she wanted other girls to have the same opportunities and resources to information that I did as a child. It has been almost two years since my mom has passed away, and it has been the most difficult thing I will likely ever have to go through. But, I know I can, and I am, because my mom would have wanted me too. My mom is my inspiration!