Canadian Para hockey trailblazer Raphaëlle Tousignant's dual fight for health, women's equality

Raphaëlle Tousignant has spent her life beating the odds, first as a survivor of childhood bone cancer and later as a trailblazing Para hockey player.

She recently had to face the disease again after being diagnosed with breast cancer last October. Tousignant rang the bell to celebrate the completion of her chemotherapy last week and is scheduled for a double mastectomy in just over a month, marking another battle won for the 23-year-old.

“I don't know if I'm cancer-free technically right now because I still have to do my scans, but after surgery, I will definitely be cancer-free. Knowing that this is done and I can move on to the next step — it's just an amazing feeling,” Tousignant told CBC Sports’ Allison Lang in a sit-down interview.

But her life has taken another unexpected turn, as she recently found out she lacks the gene that naturally suppresses tumors, a diagnosis called Li-Fraumeni syndrome — meaning she will likely never be fully out of the woods with cancer.

“It's probably not my last time getting through this, but now that I know, I'm going to be able to manage the situation more closely with my doctor and avoid getting to a point where a lot of chemo or surgery is needed,” Tousignant said.

Tousignant continued her training schedule during chemo, part of a refusal to be sidelined that has defined her journey.

“Battling cancer while keeping my normal life was such a big win for me. I'm just so proud of what I've been able to accomplish in the past months,” she said.

The Terrebonne, Que., native is on a mission to elevate women’s Para hockey to the next level, both by working toward a future spot on the national team and by advocating for the addition of a women’s Paralympic tournament.

While Para hockey is technically a mixed sport at the Paralympic level, only four female players have ever competed in the tournament. Japan’s Akari Fukunishi recently became the first Japanese woman to compete in the sport at the Paralympics and is the only woman among the eight rosters at the Milano-Cortina Games.

Tousignant has been trying for years to be the first for Canada and has achieved historic firsts along the way. She became the first-ever woman to make Canada’s roster for the world championship at the 2023 edition in Moose Jaw, Sask. — the first to be held in Canada.

“My goal has always been to close that gap as much as I could to potentially get the chance to be added to that final roster that was going to go to the Paralympics,” Tousignant said. “There's a rule that allows any team to get one extra player if that player is a woman, and since I've learned about that rule, it has always been a big goal of mine.”

More recently, Tousignant made history as part of Canada’s team at the inaugural women’s world championship in Slovakia last August, where they fell to the United States in the final.

Tousignant’s breast cancer diagnosis came just a couple months before the final roster decision for Milano Cortina.

“I don't know if I would have been there if it was not my cancer, but I'm just so proud of what I've done in the past years and all the attention it brought to women's Para hockey,” Tousignant said.