Testimonials

“There isn’t another charity like The AFC.”

– Dan Dumouchel
Director of Photography

In May 2017 I was diagnosed with kidney cancer. I had a major surgery scheduled in 3 weeks. My wife was on maternity leave with our second child. We were barely making ends meet when the crisis struck, so I decided to reach out to friends and family for help and set up an online funding campaign.

Fast forward to May 2018 – I am back in the hospital with metastatic tumour thrombus, scheduled for a second surgery. I knew I couldn’t lean on my friends and family again, so soon. That’s when a friend from Calgary told me about The AFC.

The AFC helped us pay our mortgage and covered 3 months of childcare while I recovered from abdominal surgery. Their compassionate support allowed me a stress-free recovery. It gave me and my wife peace of mind that we wouldn’t have to lose our kids’ daycare spots. It brought a sense of normalcy for our young family, as much as it was possible in our situation.

Illnesses like cancer take a significant toll on people’s lives – physical, emotional, and financial. It is comforting to know that there is someone to turn to in times of need, that there is an organization directly linked to the industry we love and make our careers in. There isn’t another charity like The AFC. I don’t know how long it would have taken us to dig ourselves out of the financial hole without their support.

Many people in the entertainment industry are self-employed and/or non-union. This often means no benefits package to fall back on and a real possibility of significant financial hardship. Too many industry members and their families are only a handful of paycheques away from being homeless, facing poverty or bankruptcy.

When we donate to The AFC, it means that we are directly helping our colleagues at a time when their health should be at the forefront of their concerns, not their bills.