With a medal around her neck and a smile on her face, Olympic cyclist Jasmin Glaesser said a heartfelt thank you to the staff at the B.C. Cancer Agency’s Fraser Valley Centre.
While Jasmin was in Brazil winning a bronze medal in the women’s team pursuit, her mother, Andrea, was undergoing breast cancer treatments in Surrey.
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Andrea had booked a trip to Rio de Janeiro but she was forced to cancel in April when she received her diagnosis.
“Incredibly, but very much in keeping with her character, my mom’s biggest concern throughout this ordeal was not getting to come and cheer me on in Rio,” Jasmin said.
Andrea Glaesser, right, gives her daughter Jasmin a big hug at the B.C. Cancer Agency Fraser Valley Centre in Surrey, B.C. (Don Marce/CBC)
“Not once during the last five months did she stop being my biggest fan. Through everything, she has kept a smile on her face.”
Jasmin spent Tuesday morning posing for pictures with the men and women who took care of her mother.
The whole time Andrea stood quietly in the background, grinning ear to ear.
She underwent her final treatment this morning.
If all goes as planned, this will be the last time she sets foot in the centre.
Jasmin Glaesser cuts the cake that was made to celebrate her Olympic medal and her mother’s last day of treatment. (Don Marce/CBC)
Proud mom
Andrea says the staff went overboard to make sure she wouldn’t miss out on anything that was happening at the Olympics, even decorating the centre with an Olympic theme.
“Everyone made it so special for me, here,” she said.
“They put up pictures of her, they asked me about her every day, they set up TVs everywhere so I was always able to watch the events and they accommodated my schedule so I would always be there to watch the races.”
“We knew that Andrea was going through a difficult time knowing she wouldn’t be at the Olympics with her daughter,” said Julie Nager, one of Andrea’s radiation therapists.
“We wanted to give her that positive experience.”
The doctors, nurses and therapists also kept a close eye on Andrea.
“I swear, if the staff was any less watchful, she would have snuck on a plane down to Rio,” Jasmin laughed.
Jasmin Glaesser, centre left, and her mom Andrea, right, pose for a picture with Andrea’s radiation therapists Julie Nager, left, and Ali Sarbar, centre right. (Don Marce/CBC)