Purple Ribbon Walk a step towards healing
Team Winston’s Bingo Biddies gathering for a group photo. Courtesy Michelle Mayo
On the evening of August 23, community members in Kahnawake gathered once again to walk with purpose, emotion, and solidarity during the 2025 Purple Ribbon Walk. Held at Karonhianónhnha School, the annual event brought hundreds together; families, friends, and health workers in a show of unity and support for those battling cancer, honouring survivors, and remembering loved ones.
The walk, which took place from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., raised vital funds for local cancer support services and more importantly, it fostered connection and healing for a community in mourning, recovery, and resilience.
The event was deeply personal for many, including long-time supporter Peggy Mayo-Standup, who walked this year in memory of her husband, Winston Standup. He passed away in May after a battle with stage four gallbladder cancer.
“I never realized just how much support my husband had until we walked around,” she said. “He had one whole row of luminaires dedicated to him. The messages on them were overwhelming. I had to stop reading because it just became too emotional.”
Though Mayo-Standup had supported the walk in the past as a volunteer, this year was different. “I always participated to help others,” she said. “We are so grateful to the Purple Ribbon Walk organizers. Their support meant everything.”
The Mayo-Standup family formed a team in Winston’s honour, named “Winston’s Bingo Biddies,” led by her nieces and nephews.
“Every member of my family, every member of Winston’s family, participated. That means the world to me,” Mayo-Standup said.
Among the many community-led teams was also a group from the Kateri Memorial Hospital Centre (KMHC) who helped raise money to support families going through cancer treatments, which was organized by nurse Sherry Mcmillan.
“Last year was the first time KMHC formed a team,” said Mcmillan. “This year, I decided to take it on, and our goal was to raise $1,000 but we ended up raising almost $3,000.”
As for the Purple Ribbon Walk initiative, Tetewatatia’takéhnhahs, they don’t have a total yet but are finalizing the numbers to be released soon.
“It’s not just about money for the families affected,” Mcmillan said. “It’s about being physically present walking alongside others who’ve been touched by cancer. Some are grieving, some are surviving, and some are still fighting. And through all of it, you feel less alone.”
Mcmillan, who works as a nurse in KMHC’s outpatient clinic for over a decade, emphasized how meaningful it was to walk alongside friends, colleagues, and community members. “It’s an amazing initiative and such a bonding experience,” she said. “You see people who have lost someone, who are in treatment, or who are survivors. It’s emotional, but also very empowering.”
She noted that what makes the Purple Ribbon Walk so special is its uniquely local impact. “A lot of fundraisers feel distant; you don’t always know where the money is going. But here, you know. This walk is so heartfelt because you actually see the people who benefit from it. That’s powerful,” Mcmillan explained. “You know who they are, people you’ve worked with, cared for, or cried with. That kind of connection doesn’t exist everywhere.”
Marion Delaronde also walked this year in memory of her brother. For her, the experience brought healing. “The experience, which I expected to feel heavy after losing my brother, was uplifting,” she said. “It’s just because I felt it as an extension of the community and families coming together to support those in need or those in loss.”
She and her mother were deeply moved by the tributes to her brother. “My mom and I were both so touched by seeing a long row of luminaires people bought in my brother’s memory.”
During the event participants took turns walking laps, with some crying one lap, laughing the next moments Mcmillan said captured the essence of the night.
“One family lost two members recently, and they all showed up in matching shirts, tears in their eyes. But the next moment, they were smiling. That’s the beauty of this walk. It reminds people they are not alone.”
As the luminaires lit the path into the night, each one glowing with names and prayers, the Purple Ribbon Walk served not just as a fundraiser, but as a testament to the strength, compassion, and spirit of Kahnawake.
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For Peggy Mayo-Standup, it was a night of mourning, love, and gratitude. “This isn’t just a walk,” she said. “It’s a lifeline for families like mine.”
