Your life. Your financial plan

Description: Sad, slow music begins to play in the background on a black screen.

Description: A woman appears sitting on a chair in a living room beside a table with a vase of flowers. She looks to the right of the camera and begins to speak.

Katherine: I think as humans we always think it's not going to happen to us. We always think it's going to be the next person. We just, I guess, especially when you're younger, you feel invincible. You just feel it's not going to affect you. It's not going to happen to you.

Description: A white box appears screen right of Katherine with red text. The text reads, Katherine, self-employed mother of two.

Description: The white box disappears.

Description: The screen becomes grey and blurred. A white box appears screen right. The text reads, in May 2015, Katherine was diagnosed with Langerhans cell sarcoma. The red text disappears, and more red text appears that reads, 60 known cases worldwide, zero specialists worldwide, 25% survival rate.

Katherine: As we broke this news to various people around us, the people that were, I guess in my husband's world,

Description: The box disappears and Katherine reappears to the right of the camera.

Katherine: which is the medical community, they understood immediately the implications. So they would immediately come and give me a hug. I knew that wasn't good.

Description: The screen becomes grey and blurred again. A white box appears screen right. The text reads, Katherine visited doctors familiar with her illness in Boston and California for treatment options.

Katherine: Every time I would be sitting in the waiting room waiting for my radiation treatment,

Description: The box disappears and Katherine reappears to the right of the camera.

Katherine: I would look at who was sitting around me, and I could see that there were people who were struggling like me with these health issues, but they had other struggles as well. They had to figure out how their rent was going to be paid. They were in a state where they could not go to work, but how could they make their financial commitments?

Description: The screen becomes grey and blurred again. A white box appears screen right. The text reads, in her 30s, Katherine purchased critical illness insurance for her family.

Katherine: This critical illness insurance made the whole.

Description: The box disappears and Katherine reappears to the right of the camera.

Katherine: process of recovery just a lot smoother, a lot easier. By removing the financial element out, by it being able to take care of that financial element, we could just focus on the whole healing, on the whole finding the treatment plan, going through the treatment, all of that, and just getting better.

Description: The screen becomes grey and blurred again. A white box appears screen right. The text reads, Katherine’s cancer is currently under control and doctors continue to monitor her progress.

Description: Katherine: I can't believe that.

Description: The box disappears and Katherine reappears to the right of the camera.

Katherine: It almost seems like it never happened. It was so intense while it was happening. Now that it's over with, it just seems like it was another lifetime away.

Description: The video changes to Katherine walking with her two children on the sidewalk with snow on the ground.

Katherine: When it's about to all be gone, you certainly become aware of what's really most important to you.

Description: The video returns to Katherine.

Katherine: And, I still get mad at my kids and my husband, you know, but I think I'm a lot more patient with the people closest to me because you're just keenly aware that they may not always be there or you may not always be there. So, you know, just let go of the little insignificant things.

Description: The box disappears and Katherine reappears to the right of the camera.

Description: A white screen appears with red text that reads, protect what’s most important – your health and the ones you love. Talk to your advisor today. The Canada Life logo appears.