In 2011 a now 26-year old La Broquerie resident found a lump on her neck.

Sam Lajoie says she had it looked at and was given antibiotics because it was diagnosed as inflammation. Over time, she notes, the pain went away and she didn't think about it again until she found out she was pregnant. Lajoie says during her pre-natal check her doctor became very alarmed with the lump and had it more closely examined. She then had surgery to remove the tumor and have it tested. It was then determined that Lajoie had Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Sam Lajoie on the survivor walk at Relay For Life. (Photo credit: Sam Lajoie)"Of course, when I got my diagnosis [my first question was], what is going to happen to him [my baby], what do we do, is he going to be okay? The answer was, absolutely, he'll be fine in there, the body is amazing."

Lajoie says she was given the option of inducing labour so she would be able to start treatment sooner, but decided to opt out and carried her son, Mason, full-term.

"I figured it would be better for him to go full-term and there was really no risk to me waiting."

After her son was born Lajoie notes they were then able to start with scans and testing to determine the best course of treatment, as well, how far along her cancer was. She says it was then she found out her Hodgkin's was stage 3.

"Then I ended up doing six rounds of chemotherapy. From May to November I was supposed to be on maternity leave, enjoying the first year of my son's life, instead, I was pretty sick."

Sam Lajoie, her two sons and her fiance at Relay For Life. (Photo credit: Sam Lajoie)Since undergoing six months of chemotherapy, Lajoie says she has been in remission for three years, has had another son, Noah, and is currently engaged to be married.

"Everybody's life matters and everybody gets touched by cancer, whether we like it or not, directly or indirectly," notes Lajoie about the importance of Relay For Life, a nation-wide fundraiser which takes place in Steinbach annually to raise money for cancer services and research. "So, to unite all of us together and do this together is a really big deal. I think that as a cancer survivor myself, knowing that there are people out there actually giving it their all just for you, it gives you more hope and more positivity as well."

To those going through cancer, Lajoie says, "it's a different experience for everyone. For me, I was really young, and I had so many things ahead of me, so I had so much stuff in my head. I would say, just hold on and keep being positive. I never once thought I was going to die. Not once did that enter my head."

Relay For Life in Steinbach raised just shy of $80,000.