Isabelle Tessier is an “insurance woman.” The industry is her family, she proudly declares. She has worked in the industry for more than 20 years, first at a brokerage and then at an insurance company.
On Thursday, October 15, 2026, a large part of that family gathered in Montreal for WICC Quebec’s Gala Odyssée Bleue to hear her speak. Not about insurance, but about her battle with cancer. And the 455 people in the packed room listened attentively.
In a conversation with actress Anick Lemay, Isabelle Tessier recounted how she was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2022. The disease returned in 2025, this time as metastatic cancer. The conversation between the two women was filled with emotion. Anick Lemay has also battled breast cancer.
WICC Quebec presented $525,000 to the Canadian Cancer Society to support scientific research into cancer during the fundraising evening. The money was raised through three events organized by the Quebec chapter of WICC (Women in Insurance Cancer Crusade): the WICC Gala and its rock concert in Montreal, as well as the golf tournament in Quebec City.
In 2025, WICC Quebec raised more in donations than each of the other three Canadian chapters, revealed Jean-Sébastien Boudreault, executive director, corporate and community partnerships, Quebec, at the Canadian Cancer Society. With the annual amount announced at last Thursday’s gala, he believes there is every reason to expect the Quebec chapter to do the same in 2026, ahead of British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario.
A difficult journey
At the Quebec event, Isabelle Tessier recounted the stages of her medical journey, from discovering a lump in her breast in 2022 to learning in 2025 that the cancer had returned and spread to her liver, bones and lungs.
Following her initial diagnosis, she underwent a biopsy. “Three weeks of hell waiting for the results,” she recalled.
Her doctor had nevertheless reassured her, telling her, “Don’t worry, you drew the best cancer out of the cancer hat. The easiest one to treat,” she paraphrased. She subsequently underwent surgery in January 2023. And life resumed.
As Director of Business Development at Intact, she returned to the hustle and bustle of the business world. “It’s wonderful,” she said, describing how she felt at the time.
But as the months passed, she began experiencing persistent pain around her ribs. She was told it was probably a side effect of her 19 radiation therapy sessions. By September 2025, things were not going well. She insisted that her doctor investigate further. A mammogram, ultrasound and MRI followed in succession.
Then came the call from her doctor: “I want to see you as soon as possible and bring someone with you.”
Isabelle Tessier said that when she received her first diagnosis, she had not experienced the kind of shock often portrayed by actors in cancer awareness commercials. But news of the recurrence was an entirely different matter. The ground fell out from under her feet. She was told that 80% of her liver was affected by metastases, confirming that the cancer had returned at stage 4. She was told that the cancer could spread to other parts of her body. She was 44 years old.
When you learn the date of your death, life changes, Isabelle Tessier told the gala audience. When her daughter was moving, she told her, “You want a kitchen table? Take mine. I don’t need it anymore. It doesn’t matter to me.”
What comes next…
She resumed close follow-up care with her oncologist. She was told she would have to take medication as part of palliative care. That word brought another shock. “When we hear that word, what do we think? ‘It’s the end of life,’” she told gala attendees.
With a calm energy, and sometimes a touch of humour, Isabelle Tessier wanted to set the record straight: “It means making me as comfortable as possible, with a good quality of life, for as long as possible.”
Isabelle Tessier said she had announced her cancer diagnosis on LinkedIn by sharing a personal account from her blog, La Bavardeuse, titled Le chapitre que je n’ai jamais voulu écrire (The Chapter I Never Wanted to Write). She received numerous messages from people telling her that she had helped them in their lives and changed the course of their own journeys. This gave her energy.
The kind of energy that enabled her to stand before 455 people at the WICC Quebec Gala. She seized the moment to deliver a message to those in attendance: “To those who help you in life, don’t wait until they’re no longer here to tell them they’ve had an impact on you. Tell them while they’re still alive.”
Isabelle Tessier emphasized the importance of the donations made by attendees to support the fight against cancer. She revealed that her chances of still being alive in five years were estimated at 25%. Her battle, like that of everyone affected by the disease, is not over. Much will depend on cancer research and scientific advances.
The fight against cancer involves four lines of treatment, Isabelle Tessier explained. In oncology, these four lines refer to successive treatments administered to a patient when the disease progresses, recurs or stops responding to the previous treatment.
Isabelle Tessier is on her first line of treatment. On the evening of the gala, she was in excellent shape. “But tomorrow or the day after, I might not look like this,” she pointed out. Her future will depend on research and the development of new lines of treatment. “Cancer research really does make a difference. I’m living proof!” she declared during the evening.
She concluded with a heartfelt thank-you. “Every single one of you really makes a huge difference in our lives and in the lives of many others. Thank you.”
In other words, Anick Lemay added, “research is keeping Isabelle alive.”
