Catherine is a successful advertising executive, whose energy is matched, by her very energetic English Springer Spaniel, Hershey. Catherine could be the poster child for The Power of Positive Thinking. No matter the challenge, Catherine is a born leader, highly competitive, and in all facets of her life, aims to be on the winning team.

Catherine and Hershey shared a charmed relationship and partnership. Two, out of the three years they entered, Catherine and Hershey won the grand prize at the Canadian Canine Puppy Dog All-Star Olympics, held at the Sky Dome in Toronto. They were the stars of Life Network Television's "Life With Pets", and most important of all, Hershey is a certified St. John's Ambulance Therapy dog, and together, Catherine and Hershey, regularly visited hospitals and Senior Residences to perform and entertain and spread a message of joy, to each and every person they came into contact with.

When Hershey was eight years old, the word "charmed", turned into the word "cancer." A seemingly innocent small lump, turned out to be malignant. In spite of Catherine's grief and shock when she received this life altering news, Catherine's passion for Hershey took over, and she struck a deal with herself and him, that she and Hershey would win their greatest challenge of all. All of Catherine's excellent problem solving skills came to the fore, and she and Hershey embarked on their journey to fight their fierce combatant, cancer.

Catherine's team included a nutritionist, a holistic veterinarian, an animal communicator, and her boyfriend and sister, both traditional veterinarians, as well as the Oncology Department at the University of Guelph.

The first step was surgery to try and remove as much of the cancerous tumor as possible. And, to identify the type of cancer to determine how best to fight back.

Though the veterinary teaching hospital at Guelph now has a state of the art MRI equipment, at the time of Hershey's diagnosis, this
valuable diagnostic tool was not available, and the oncology team told Catherine that they couldn't recommend a definitive treatment plan for Hershey until they had results from an MRI, and they needed that information right away. That news was relayed on a Thursday, and the plan was to begin chemotherapy the following Monday, unless an MRI could be done over the weekend. Catherine knew that somehow, Hershey had to have the MRI, and she was galvanized into action.

At great expense, Catherine was able to arrange to take Hershey to a " people" hospital, located outside of Toronto, during non-patient hours, and Guelph had their MRI results on Monday morning. That one action, probably saved Hershey's life, because the oncology team decided to skip the chemotherapy, and go straight to radiation treatments, that would directly target any remaining cancer.

Catherine was very fortunate, because her company understood what Hershey meant to her and allowed her to take the necessary time she needed to care for her beloved Hershey. And so they embarked on a month of daily radiation treatments. Every morning, Catherine and Hershey drove from her home in North York to Guelph, where Hershey received his radiation treatment, while Catherine waited with other pet owners or worked from her car. When he was ready around noon everyday, the two set off for home where Hershey could get the rest he needed with her by his side.

Catherine's passion for her dog, coupled with her strong desire to win, and her positive problem solving skills gave her the strength she needed, to overcome this terrific challenge. The word "lose" simply was not in her vocabulary. Or Hershey's! He had a will to live, love and play...and she was going to make sure he had the future to do just that.

The happy ending to the story? After one year, post cancer, these two decided to stop moping and waiting for the cancer to return. Instead, they got back out there to enjoy life and each other. At the age of nine, Hershey learned, competed and earned his Agility Dog of Canada title! Better yet...Hershey just celebrated his 12th birthday!. He's deaf now, as a result of old age, but he's still a clown, and he's proud to show off the scar on his chest, where the hair will never grow back. To this day, Catherine and Hershey still make an occasional therapy visit, spreading hope and happiness, to children with cancer, and senior citizens.

Catherine's passionate dedication to Hershey, and her determination to win, allowed her to succeed, and Catherine celebrates their life together, each and every day.