> Breast cancer survivor attains academic goal
Breast cancer survivor attains academic goal
Contact:
Liana Zwick, (Castlegar resident) 250.365.1368, lianazwick@shaw.ca, lzwick@selkirk.ca
Carol Thorbes, PAMR, 778.782.3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca
Liana Zwick, (Castlegar resident) 250.365.1368, lianazwick@shaw.ca, lzwick@selkirk.ca
Carol Thorbes, PAMR, 778.782.3035, cthorbes@sfu.ca
May 21, 2008
What a difference a year has made in Liana Zwick’s life. This time last year, the Simon Fraser University graduate had undergone 16 days of radiation as part of a rigorous 15 month treatment program for an aggressive form of breast cancer.
This June, the 41-year-old mother is obtaining her Bachelor of General Studies on time and with a grade point average (GPA) of 4.0 (maximum, 4.33) in her final semester and a cumulative GPA of 3.8.
The Castlegar resident was more than half way through SFU’s Liberal and Business Studies program based at Castlegar’s Selkirk College when she was diagnosed in August 2006. At the time, she was taking two days of classes every second week, holding down a part-time job as Selkirk College’s human rights advisor and taking care of her then five-year-old daughter Jessica.
“I was devastated. I didn’t want to give up my studies after investing a year and half in them,” says Zwick, who took sick leave from work to undergo a single mastectomy. She continued on with her schooling, never missing a class or an assignment, despite weathering eight sessions of chemotherapy and 16 sessions of radiation.
Zwick remembers using a broomstick, after surgery, to stretch out her arm every two hours in one of her classes. There was the time when the chemo made her so sick she had to be hospitalized for two days, after which she drove straight from the hospital to a class to make a presentation. Her husband drove her to and from her treatments in Kelowna and Nelson.
Zwick says it was “patience, perseverance and persistence” that motivated her to become one of nine students in an original cohort of 18 who finished their three-year program. But she also exemplifies how facing down fear, staying focused on a goal and having a solid support network can make someone unbeatable even in the face of adversity.
“I am so grateful for the support I got from family, friends and professors. Taking yoga to relax and keep up my strength and focusing daily on finishing my degree kept me going. I also learned quickly that half the battle of beating cancer is winning the mental game of fear associated with it,” says Zwick. She credits her undergraduate degree with helping her land a full-time human resources job at Selkirk College, which is graduating its first cohort of SFU Liberal and Business studies students this spring.
Zwick seems to have plenty of mental resources in reserve. After another mastectomy and reconstruction in September and some rest, she’s contemplating doing graduate studies.
SFU’s 2008 spring convocation ceremonies take place June 3, 4, 5 and 6 at the Burnaby campus. Zwick will be crossing convocation mall to collect her degree in the 9:45 a.m. ceremony on June 4.
— 30 — (electronic photo file available on request)
This June, the 41-year-old mother is obtaining her Bachelor of General Studies on time and with a grade point average (GPA) of 4.0 (maximum, 4.33) in her final semester and a cumulative GPA of 3.8.
The Castlegar resident was more than half way through SFU’s Liberal and Business Studies program based at Castlegar’s Selkirk College when she was diagnosed in August 2006. At the time, she was taking two days of classes every second week, holding down a part-time job as Selkirk College’s human rights advisor and taking care of her then five-year-old daughter Jessica.
“I was devastated. I didn’t want to give up my studies after investing a year and half in them,” says Zwick, who took sick leave from work to undergo a single mastectomy. She continued on with her schooling, never missing a class or an assignment, despite weathering eight sessions of chemotherapy and 16 sessions of radiation.
Zwick remembers using a broomstick, after surgery, to stretch out her arm every two hours in one of her classes. There was the time when the chemo made her so sick she had to be hospitalized for two days, after which she drove straight from the hospital to a class to make a presentation. Her husband drove her to and from her treatments in Kelowna and Nelson.
Zwick says it was “patience, perseverance and persistence” that motivated her to become one of nine students in an original cohort of 18 who finished their three-year program. But she also exemplifies how facing down fear, staying focused on a goal and having a solid support network can make someone unbeatable even in the face of adversity.
“I am so grateful for the support I got from family, friends and professors. Taking yoga to relax and keep up my strength and focusing daily on finishing my degree kept me going. I also learned quickly that half the battle of beating cancer is winning the mental game of fear associated with it,” says Zwick. She credits her undergraduate degree with helping her land a full-time human resources job at Selkirk College, which is graduating its first cohort of SFU Liberal and Business studies students this spring.
Zwick seems to have plenty of mental resources in reserve. After another mastectomy and reconstruction in September and some rest, she’s contemplating doing graduate studies.
SFU’s 2008 spring convocation ceremonies take place June 3, 4, 5 and 6 at the Burnaby campus. Zwick will be crossing convocation mall to collect her degree in the 9:45 a.m. ceremony on June 4.
— 30 — (electronic photo file available on request)