A London woman battling terminal cancer is speaking out about Ontario’s long wait times for medical diagnostics, saying delays in her diagnosis may have cost her precious time.

As she removes her hat, 57-year-old Nadine Lalonde reveals her bare head with a wry smile.

“I think I’m actually rocking this hairdo—I have a reasonably nice-shaped head,” she jokes, holding onto her sense of humor despite undergoing chemotherapy for end-stage pancreatic cancer.

Lalonde was officially diagnosed in December 2024, but her symptoms began nearly a year earlier.

“I went to my family doctor and said, ‘Hey, something doesn’t seem right,’” she recalled, describing unusual digestive issues.

Her doctor ordered an MRI in March 2024, which revealed cysts on her pancreas. Radiologists recommended further testing—an endoscopic ultrasound and biopsy—but getting those tests took a staggering six months.

“By the time I had that test, things were already at a very serious point,” she said.

Two days before her birthday, she received the devastating diagnosis: pancreatic cancer.

Now, Lalonde is using her voice to advocate for faster diagnostic testing, emphasizing that her experience is not unique. She hopes speaking out will spark much-needed improvements in Ontario’s healthcare system.