Many Iqalummiut are showing support for single mother Naja Fenn, who has a child with special needs and now is fighting for her health.
Diagnosed with colorectal cancer in February after many prior fruitless consultations with doctors, Fenn has gone to Ottawa for at least six months to receive treatment.
“It’s really hard when you have to go long-term with a child,” she says, sitting at her booth at the International Women’s Day craft fair, where she was raising funds for her stay down south. She was selling her hand-made jewelry and 50-50 draw tickets.
Although Extended Health Benefits will cover a modest portion of her expenses, an additional crack in the system leaves her lacking access to immediate funding through the Inuit Child First Initiative. She has submitted an application amid the program’s large backlog in hopes of receiving assistance.
“All of my family is up here,” says Fenn, who explains that she is allowed to bring an escort who will look after her daughter Willa while she receives treatment. “I’m hoping I’ll be able to come back for little pieces of time, but I’m no longer sure.”
Diagnosed at Iqaluit’s Qikiqtani Hospital, Fenn speaks about frustrations many Nunavummiut face when trying to access basic healthcare.
“I kept going to the hospital for over a year. They kept telling me it was different things, nothing important. Then one of my doctors finally ordered a test, and they found out it was advanced cancer,” she says.
“I can take a lot of pain,” comments Fenn. “I know when something’s wrong with me. Part of me was relieved when when I found out. When I finally knew, part of me was really scared. It’s so many feelings at once. I [was] waking up from anesthesia saying over and over again to the nurse, ‘I have a child.’
“I was shocked. I was scared. I just want to make sure I’m there for [Willa]. She’s got special needs so it’s just harder, especially thinking about future caregivers for her.”
Fenn left for Ottawa on March 10, initially alone. Her cousin will be bringing her daughter down later, as they were able to get discounted airfare provided by Canadian North to land claim beneficiaries.
“So that helped a lot,” says Fenn. “The first two months are set up and ready to go.”
While she is receiving treatment, she says she plans to knit baby hats to donate to the hospital.
“I like to keep my hands busy. It helps me to get my mind off things.”
While speaking with a concerned patron at her craft table who was buying 50-50 tickets, Fenn says that ultimately, “I’m positive about it. It’s a common cancer, it’s supposed to be relatively treatable.”
Through the 50-50 draw held before she left, Fenn raised a total of $5,230, of which she kept $2,615.
“A lot of people asked us to write ‘donate’ [on the ticket]” she said in the raffle video, “or put Willa’s name in the blank… and there were lots of people who said if they win, they want to give their ticket back to me.”