CALEDONIA—It hasn’t been an easy year for Caledonia resident Justine Hadcock, but she is extremely grateful for the support her community has shown as she continues to fight a challenging cancer diagnosis.
Her sister, Allyson Zess, is behind a fundraiser that has raised over $33,000 to date. Zess wrote on the GoFundMe page, “If you know my sister, you know that her family is her entire world. She is a loving wife and an incredible mom to three boys who mean everything to her.”
She outlined Justine’s health issues over the past two years, including the full removal of her colon in August 2026. Zess recalled learning of the severity of the issue on a group phone call with the surgeon right after the procedure.
“They found a large mass in her colon, a mass on her ovary, and numerous tumour deposits on her abdominal wall,” said Zess, speaking with The Press. “The days following seemed like years while we all waited for her pathology to come back. Since then, it’s been an emotional rollercoaster to say the least. Through it all, Justine has held her head up with a smile on her face.”
Ten days after that call, Justine was officially diagnosed with Stage IV Metastatic Colon Cancer. She has been unable to work, with the fundraiser meant to support Justine, husband Ben, and sons Bennet, Rowan, and Levi.
The expenses that come with treatment, including travelling to appointments at the Juravinski Cancer Centre in Hamilton and Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, add to existing monthly bills. The family is facing additional income loss due to Ben taking time off work to remain by Justine’s side and take care of their children.
“Our goal is simple: to give their family some financial breathing room during an incredibly difficult time,” said Zess.
She characterized her sister as an amazing mother, wife, daughter, sister, and friend: “She’s fiercely loyal to her close circle of family and friends. Her three boys are the centre of her world. They are a huge hockey household, with all three boys playing hockey. Justine is a devoted hockey mom, determined to miss as little as possible.”
Justine has another six months of chemotherapy every two weeks ahead of her.
“She receives treatment intravenously through her port at the hospital and then goes home with a pump connected to her port where she continues chemotherapy for 48 hours,” explained Zess.
Additionally, Justine will go for CT scans in three-month intervals, with her oncology team determining at the six-month mark if she qualifies for what Zess called a “very extensive” cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy.
“There is very specific criteria that needs to be met in order to qualify for the surgery. Justine and our whole family are staying positive and hopeful that she will qualify,” said Zess.
Through it all, Zess said Justine and Ben have made it their mission to not let this affect the boys’ day to day life.
Unfortunately, cancer is not a new concern for the family. Their oldest son, Ben, battled and beat liver cancer when he was just 2.5 years old.
“Justine gets to see living proof from her own son that the battle can be beat,” said Zess.
She added that “it’s all hands on deck” as friends and family chip in, such as with needed rides. She praised the whole community in Caledonia and beyond for stepping up.
“The outpouring of love and support has left us all speechless. The amount of people who have reached out to help in any way they can has been overwhelming in the best possible way,” she said. “From homemade meals to donated parking passes from the Steve Young Trust, and everything in between … we truly cannot thank our community enough.”
In a post to the GoFundMe page in late October, Justine took a moment to share her own appreciation.
“I wanted to hop on here quickly and say thank you to each and every one of you,” she wrote. “The outpouring of love and support has been humbling and emotional … To see how many people are rooting for you and standing behind you is something hard to put into words. We truly appreciate all of you.”
To donate, visit gofundme.com/f/the-hadcock-family.
