When Zoe Mak was first diagnosed with a rare form of cancer at the age of eight, she couldn’t have imagined how deeply it would shape her life. Called Spindle Epithelial Tumour with Thymus-Like Differentiation, or SETTLE, it is so rare that at the time, only 42 people in the world had been diagnosed with it.
April is Daffodil Month, the Canadian Cancer Society’s annual campaign to raise awareness and funds for cancer research and support services. For Mak, the campaign’s message of hope and solidarity hits close to home.
Her journey began in 2015 when doctors discovered the tumour in her thyroid. While she underwent surgery and was cancer-free for four years, in 2019, at the age of 12, the cancer returned and metastasized to her lungs. That year was particularly difficult, as it coincided with the start of high school and intensive chemotherapy. She lost her hair, missed a lot of school, and felt the isolation that often comes with serious illness.
“I couldn’t really talk to anyone about it,” Mak said. “Obviously, I had friends and family surrounding me and they all cared about me so much, but if you don’t have that lived experience, it’s a little different.”
Since then, she’s cycled through numerous clinical trials and treatment options. Last year, doctors introduced radiation therapy despite uncertainty around its effectiveness for her condition. It turned out to be a turning point. Mak is currently asymptomatic.
A major shift in her journey came in 2020 when she connected with the Canadian Cancer Society and began attending Camp Goodtimes, a support program for children and teens affected by cancer. Though COVID-19 restrictions delayed her in-person attendance until 2022, the impact was immediate and profound.
“I think within the first hour I probably talked more about my cancer than I had in the last three years,” she said. “That was just such an empowering thing for me because I was just feeling seen by these people. They all understood because they’ve lived it themselves.”
Mak explained that the teen-specific camp became an avenue for expressing her feelings about dealing with cancer.
“A lot of them are my best friends now. Having access to that community aspect – it’s just grown so much.”
The camps, which include a winter retreat and year-round youth council programming, take place in Shawnigan Lake, Maple Ridge, and near Princeton.
Beyond social connection, Mak says the Canadian Cancer Society has played a critical role in funding research – a necessity for such a rare disease.
“There wasn’t a direct protocol for what to do,” she said. “The research was so critical in finding even just the radiation treatments or the clinical trials I’ve been on.”
Mak is finishing her first year at the University of Victoria, where she’s studying sciences and considering a transfer into nursing.
“I’m a very hands-on person,” she said. “I think nursing would fit how I work better. And having that personal connection is a big thing.”
She chose UVic partly to be closer to nature, but also to stay near her treatment team in Vancouver.
When asked about common misconceptions surrounding cancer, Mak pointed to two. The first: people often assume it only affects older adults. The second: you can’t always tell who’s going through it.
“After 2019, when I lost my hair, when it grew back, no one in my school knew until my Grade 12 year,” she said. “I had a bunch of people come to me and say, ‘I had no idea you were dealing with this.’”
Even now, sharing that part of her life with new people is something she’s still learning how to navigate.
“It’s just slowly opening up,” she said. “Like, ‘Hey, this is something I’m dealing with, and I want you guys to be aware of it because you’re important people to me.’”
For Mak, Daffodil Month is about more than just raising awareness. It’s about turning that awareness into action – and supporting the research and services that give young people like her the tools to live, connect, and thrive.
