Catherine Wreford Ledlow is not any shrinking violet.
She studied with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet, carried out on the Stratford Competition, danced on the stage in Toronto, achieved her life’s dream of being on Broadway and tasted success in Los Angeles.
She and greatest buddy Craig Ramsay even received Wonderful Race Canada, beating out 9 different groups in a gruelling competitors. Not too shabby! A triple menace artist: dance, vocals, performing. Catherine’s motto, she’s going to let you know, is, “I can do this.”
Catherine and Craig had been topped champions of ‘The Wonderful Race Canada’ in 2022. Their participation within the present got here virtually a decade after Catherine was recognized with terminal mind most cancers and had two to 6 years to dwell (Photograph: CTV The Wonderful Race Canada)
In an interview with CTV’s W5, Catherine mentioned, “I had all this confidence and I simply wished to get higher and higher.” She did.
Catherine’s mother, Diane Wreford, a former radio persona, describes her daughter as having “a lot vitality, we had to verify there have been locations to channel it.”
The 2 ladies are very shut, nearer now that 42-year-old Catherine’s vitality is being channeled in the direction of the struggle of her life. Greater than 9 years in the past, she was recognized with anaplastic astrocytoma, a uncommon malignant mind tumour, and he or she was given two to 6 years to dwell. She’s outlived the prognosis.
As Diane advised us, “Catherine is a type of folks you go to cheer up, and he or she finally ends up cheering you up. She’s very constructive.”
Diane is embracing her daughter’s positivity, however is aware of time is valuable, which is why the prolonged household is spending time collectively, residing just some blocks aside in Winnipeg.
It’s given Catherine’s two kids, Elliot, 12 and Quinn, 9, an opportunity to bond with their grandparents, and Diane, an opportunity to perpetuate her daughter’s legacy.
“Daily I’ll inform them how foolish she was, or she used to do this.”
It’s these tales Catherine needs her mom to share together with her youngsters, as a result of the youngsters know, “my time is restricted and that I’m doing my greatest to remain right here so long as I can. “
Catherine can also be paying it ahead by bringing hope to others. “If I’m not inspirational, then I’ve misplaced my approach. I need folks to see that issues are doable, even with a terminal analysis.”
Catherine Wreford Ledlow speaks with CTV W5’s Sandie Rinaldo
Nobody Catherine as we speak will consider she’s preventing a deadly illness.
She says, “That’s a part of the difficulty with it. It’s an invisible illness. And so I’ve to speak about it. Not so folks go, ‘oh poor Catherine,’ however so folks go, ‘oh wow, she has mind most cancers, however she will be able to nonetheless do that and this and this and this.’”
Docs can’t clarify why Catherine has survived this lengthy, but when a ardour for all times, pushing the boundaries, and pursuing new experiences is the reply, it is going to be a mom’s reward to her kids when time strikes on with out her and recollections begin to fade.
Catherine and Craig dancing. They first met on the Royal Winnipeg Ballet Faculty over 20 years in the past (W5)
