Susan Wener is an educator, therapist, best-selling author and TEDx alum. At the age of 36, she was diagnosed with colon cancer. She began treatment with one goal: seeing her children finish high school. She successfully underwent chemotherapy and dedicated her career to helping Montreal’s cancer community. Her struggle and resilience also inspired her husband Jonathan to get involved in the fight against cancer by launching the Défi Canderel Challenge in 1989. Since then, this initiative has raised over $24 million for Canadian cancer research centres.

Cancer-free, Susan pursued studies in natural health, recognizing the importance of holistic treatment methods. On the cusp of graduating as a natural health consultant, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. The prognosis was grim as she required life-altering surgery to remove her right lung. Her recovery shocked doctors as she recovered 90% of her normal lung capacity: by medical standards, Susan did the impossible.

Since then, Susan has built a thriving therapeutic practice for people struggling with serious illness. She complements traditional medicine by using a diverse therapeutic approach of bodywork, visualization, neuro-linguistic programming, storytelling and hypnosis. She is the first and only natural health consultant invited to sit on the Jewish General Hospital’s Gynecological Oncology Tumour Board. Susan is also a Trustee of the Jewish General Hospital Foundation Board and was a member of the Board of Directors of Hope and Cope, an organization that provides compassionate, supportive, evidence-based cancer care.