Raphaëlle Tousignant won’t let breast cancer diagnosis halt 2026 Paralympic pursuit

Para hockey player Raphaëlle Tousignant, the first woman to play for Canada in a major international competition, says she has been diagnosed with breast cancer.

"I never thought I would say those words again — not now, not anytime soon. But life has its own plans," she wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday. "About a week ago, I was diagnosed with breast cancer.

"I've been here before. I've faced challenges on and off the ice that have shaped me into the person I am today. I've learned how to fall and stand back up. I've learned how to breathe through pain and hold on to hope. And this fight won't be any different."

When she was 10 years old, Tousignant's leg was amputated due to bone cancer.

The forward from Terrebonne, Que., made the Canadian women's Para hockey team at 14, quickly becoming one of the program's top players, and in 2023 was the first woman named to Canada's national team for a world championship.

Now 23, Tousignant was aiming to be the first female Para hockey player to compete for Canada in the Paralympics at the 2026 Games in Milan-Cortina, Italy, in March.

Para hockey at the Paralympics is technically mixed gender, but only three women (two for Norway, one for China) have played in the Games despite teams being allowed to increase their rosters from 17 to 18 players to add a woman.

Despite her diagnosis, Tousignant says it's a dream she'll still chase.

"These next months were supposed to be the final push toward the Games, a chance to earn my spot. And I'm not going to let this stop me," she said. "I don't know if it's realistic or even possible anymore. And honestly, I don't want to know right now. What I do know is that every workout and every ice time has a new meaning. They're my fuel. My focus. My 'why.'

"Who knows how it will all unfold, but I will know that I tried until the very last second to make my dream reality.”

Tousignant also helped Canada win silver at the inaugural world women's Para hockey championships in Dolný Kubín, Slovakia in August.

"This is another chapter in my story -- not the whole story, not the end of it," she said. "I'm taking this one day at a time, surrounded by love, strength, and a fire that hasn't gone out."