In 2005, the life of Elana Waldman, then a lawyer in her mid-30s, took a dramatic and unexpected turn. When a diagnosis of stage three ovarian cancer forced Waldman to leave the firm where she practised family law, she took to pursuing every avenue she could to raise awareness and funds in hopes of increasing the survival rate of ovarian cancer patients.

When Waldman passed away on June 4, 2013, at her Caribou Park home, she left behind a lofty legacy of efforts to help others on their journey.

Although many call ovarian cancer “the cancer that whispers,” because symptoms are often easily dismissed, she decided instead to let her voice be heard. She first created a benefit known as aWEARness in 2008, raising more than $200,000 for Princess Margaret Hospital in its first year. She then became involved with the initiative It’s Time to Shout, a website started by a family friend to raise awareness and money for research toward early detection of ovarian cancer.

It’s Time to Shout (www.itstimetoshout.com) features video stories from cancer patients such as Waldman encouraging others to share their stories.

She also became a blogger for Chatelaine, posting regular video and text entries, also under the name It’s Time to Shout. The blog chronicled many of her challenges, including how cancer affected her holiday routine and how she broke the news of her relapse to her young daughter. Waldman’s friends, family and colleagues at Chatelaine say they remember her as a humble and exceedingly positive woman in the face of an illness that inflicts one in 70 Canadians. Her supporters have vowed to carry out her goal of increasing survival rates by raising awareness of early detection.

Their mantra? “Keep on shouting.” She will be missed.