Yoga event pays tribute to cancer victim

On Dec. 4, 2008, Nadia Morin lost her friend Penny Frappier to cancer. Before she died, Morin made a promise to her friend that she would somehow participate in helping to find a cure for the disease.

Last month, on the anniversary of Frappier’s passing, Morin came through on her promise. The certified yoga instructor and owner of a yoga studio called For A Better Tomorrow, invited friends, family, students and “anyone who has been touched by cancer” to a special yoga class to celebrate Frappier’s life.

“We believed this event would be successful by finding the cure — one breath at a time,” Morin said.

Frappier, who was diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer in 2004, was a member of a family stricken by cancer, over and over again. Along with both her parents, Frappier was among four out of five sisters in her family afflicted with the disease.

“Unfortunately, Penny was not able to physically do yoga, but she implemented the philosophy of yoga in her healing,” Morin said. “By relying on yoga practices, such as the control of the breath, meditation and relaxation, she was able to find peace to be able to battle this deadly sickness.”

In partnership with the Canadian Cancer Society, the first annual Yoga for the Cure event was held Dec. 4, 2009 at l’École Sacre-Coeur, with all proceeds being donated to ovarian cancer research.

The event, which was open to people of all ages, also featured a penny drive, which invited participants to donate their pennies at the event. “We collected over 100,000 pennies,” Morin noted.

With 60 people participating in the event, Yoga for a Cure raised more than $7,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society.
“It was extremely gratifying to see how the community pulled together and got involved in the event,” Morin said. “It’s a good foundation to build into a yearly event.”