Why We Created ApotheCare: A Personal Story of Care, Cancer, and Community

Sitting in a small emergency clinic room on a Tuesday afternoon with my husband. Three words stopped time: “You have cancer.”

In that moment, everything shifted. The familiar world I knew—filled with work deadlines, weekend plans, and everyday worries—suddenly felt impossible. What followed was a journey I never expected to take, through a landscape I never wanted to explore.

I found myself caught between two worlds—the clinical efficiency of treatment schedules and the deeply personal, often messy reality of facing mortality. My family and I navigated not just medical decisions, but sleepless nights filled with questions no one had prepared us for. We discovered that while Canada excels at treating cancer, the emotional landscape of the journey often felt uncharted and isolating.

I wasn’t alone in feeling alone. Across Canada, thousands of people were sitting in similar chairs, carrying similar fears, wondering if anyone truly understood what they were going through.

But I also witnessed something beautiful in those sterile hallways; moments when genuine human connection broke through. A nurse who sat with me during a tough day. Another patient who shared their story and somehow made mine feel less frightening. Family members who learned to be present in ways that words couldn’t capture. These connections didn’t just comfort; they transformed. They turned fear into courage, isolation into community, and surviving into thriving.

That’s when I knew: if the right support system could make such a profound difference in my journey, imagine what it could do for others.

ApotheCare was born from that realization, not from a boardroom or market research, but from the lived experience of what was missing and the vision of what could be possible. I created what I desperately wished had existed during my own darkest hours: a place where no one has to navigate cancer alone and where every Canadian facing this journey feels genuinely seen, heard, and supported.

This story isn’t just mine anymore. It belongs to every person who has heard those life-changing words, every family member who has held their breath in a waiting room, every caregiver who has wondered how to help. It’s our collective story of resilience, connection, and the profound difference that genuine support makes.

My promise to our Canadian cancer community is simple but unwavering: your journey doesn’t have to be walked alone. Together, we’re rewriting what cancer support can look like when expertise and empathy unite.

Tennille

Board of Directors

Executive Director and Co-Founder

Tennille Corbett

Tennille Corbett brings a wealth of professional experience from healthcare, workers’ compensation, and provincial OH&S in government to her work in the non-profit sector. With a career built on navigating complex systems and advocating for individuals in times of need, she has developed a strong foundation in governance, policy, and organizational development.

Tennille applies her expertise to the Neoma Wellness board of directors to strengthen structures that support sustainability and growth, ensuring women across Saskatchewan have access to vital mental health care. 

Tennille Corbett is the author of three books, a community builder, and a non-profit leader dedicated to creating hope, resilience, and connection spaces. Her professional journey reflects a consistent dedication to building supportive systems that help people thrive through life’s most challenging circumstances.

Tennille provides strategic leadership and executive oversight for Apothecare Support Registry Inc., ensuring the organization fulfills its mission of operating a gift registry service for individuals and families in need.

Director of Operations and Co-Founder

Shaynne Corbett

Shaynne Corbett is a creative marketing and communications professional with over three decades of experience helping organizations share their stories with clarity and impact. His background spans technology, agriculture, mining, manufacturing, and education, giving him a unique ability to adapt ideas across diverse industries and audiences.

With expertise in design, branding, web development, and digital strategy, Shaynne brings creativity and technical skill to his work. His career has been shaped by collaboration with business leaders, designers, journalists, and communicators. These relationships strengthened his belief in the power of storytelling to connect people and drive meaningful change.

At ApotheCare, Shaynne contributes his knowledge to building a platform that supports patients and families through cancer while reflecting the values of innovation, accessibility, and community care. His commitment is to ensure that the voices and needs of those facing health challenges are amplified with dignity and impact.

Shaynne is responsible for designing, implementing, and managing Apothecare’s gift registry programs and services and ensuring the platform’s effective service delivery.

Treasurer/Financial Director

Michele Kiss

Michele graduated from the University of Saskatchewan with an Honours Arts degree and completed her Master’s in the Humanities in the UK in 1997. Since graduating, she has worked for several top-tier advertising agencies in Canada, most notably as an Account Executive at Ogilvy and Mather (Toronto), a Senior Account Executive at Anderson DDB (Toronto) and a Project Manager at Karo Group (Calgary). Michele’s clients include companies such as HBC, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, ConocoPhillips, and ENMAX. Michele has been with Titan Clean Energy since 2008, and is responsible for marketing, administration and project management.

Michele’s role at ApotheCare is to provide financial oversight and stewardship for Apothecare Support Registry Inc., ensuring sound financial management and compliance with all applicable regulations.