Jill Hamer-Wilson

With degrees in Engineering, Theology and Education, Jill Hamer-Wilson spent most of her career engaging with leaders in team building and community outreach. Diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in 2013 when her children were 6, 10 and 12, she had undergone a variety of treatments including one through a clinical trial. Out of gratitude for research and a desire for more people affected by cancer to live better and longer, she invested much of her time as a survivor advocate.  Sadly, Jill died from her lung cancer on November 12th, 2022. Below is a a partial list of her accomplishments.

She completed the AACR Scientist <—> Survivor Program in 2019 and served as mentor for the inaugural IASLC (International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer) STARS research advocate development program. Jill was a sought-after speaker who had presented at numerous conferences including ASCO 22. She enjoyed working with a variety of other groups such as: the Canadian Cancer Trials Group (Lung Executive), Stand Up to Cancer, Canadian Cancer Clinical Trials Network, Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, and Canadian Cancer Society. A founding member of her local lung cancer support group and online support groups, Jill was a patient advisor with The Ottawa Hospital and had spearheaded a number of initiatives including patient summits, outreach tables and a letter to people newly diagnosed. Jill also engaged in local, provincial and federal political advocacy and is active on social media. She blogged at: www.ThroughtheValley.ca