Malia Emberson-Lafoa’i

Submitted by Dan_Canteen on Mon, 11/08/2021 - 14:18
Malia Emberson-Lafoa’i
Person title
Board member

I joined Canteen in 2017, a year after my mum’s ovarian cancer diagnosis. Before Canteen, I was convinced that no one would understand what I was going through. My first few counselling sessions were a revelation, as I learned about this charity which helped thousands of young people just like me. I had counselling with Canteen for four years. It was a space for me to be scared, to be sad, and to be hopeful. Canteen supported me when I was supporting my mum in her advocacy work for ovarian cancer, and Canteen kept me afloat as my mum went into palliative care and died at the end of 2019.

I completed my law degree a year after my mum died, in part thanks to the support Canteen provided. When I moved into legal practice, I realised that it was time for me to start getting involved in helping the longevity of the charity that had helped me so much. I bring to the board experience working with not-for-profits, a history of cancer advocacy, and a passion for this organisation. I currently live in San Francisco, working for a health-tech company trying to bring free healthcare to billions of people.

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Malia Emberson-Lafoa’i