“A fight against cancer that continues for others” Francine, Camille’s mother

Some stories are harder to hear than others. Francine’s is one of them. Her daughter Camille passed away in October 2023, at the age of 23. Francine has agreed to share her story as part of our Facing Cancer series. Not to reopen old wounds, but to ensure that her daughter’s fight continues to have meaning. So that no one looks away.

Camille was 14 when everything changed. Abdominal pain, a visit to the paediatric emergency department, and then a diagnosis that came as a devastating shock: a malignant ovarian tumour. The family was referred to Gustave Roussy, one of Europe’s leading cancer centres.

What followed was a long and gruelling fight. First, major surgery to remove the tumour. Then three cycles of chemotherapy. Years of treatment, monitoring and rebuilding her life. And finally, in 2019, the words every family hopes to hear: Camille was declared cancer-free.

After her illness, Camille began to rebuild her life. It was not easy, as Francine openly acknowledges. But Camille faced it with the determination that had always been part of who she was. A former competitive athlete, she began imagining a future in event management. She had plans. She had a future. She was moving forward.

In 2018, she signed up for the Children Without Cancer Race for the first time. It was a turning point. Camille understood how important it was to get involved and raise funds for research. Having experienced cancer first-hand, she chose to turn her personal fight into a collective one.

“Go, Fight, Win. It became Camille’s motto, the words that helped her keep moving forward.”

Then came October 2022. Once again, life changed overnight. The cancer had returned, this time in an aggressive and inoperable form. The very thing every family who has faced cancer fears — and hopes never to experience — had become a reality.

Camille began an extraordinarily difficult fight. In January 2023, doctors told the family that she would be receiving palliative care. She was given just hours, perhaps days. But she kept fighting. She held on. Every moment, she chose to live.

“At that point, you have to make every moment count,” Francine says. Those words say it all. When time is measured in days, every hour becomes precious. The family stood together. They created memories and made the most of every moment they had.

“You have to make every moment count. There isn’t much time left. We need to make the most of it.”

In 2023, despite her exhaustion and the illness progressing, Camille was determined to take part in the Children Without Cancer Race. It was her sixth time participating. She was extremely tired, but taking part mattered deeply to her.

She ran. She showed that the fight can continue until the very end. And she reminded everyone that supporting research is not optional: it is essential.

A few days after the race, Camille passed away. She was 23.

That final act says everything about the person she was. A young woman who, until her very last strength, chose to turn towards others. Towards those who would come after her. Towards the children who may one day receive a cancer diagnosis and who deserve better chances than she had.

Camille’s story highlights an issue that is still too rarely discussed: cancer returning after remission. Today, around 80% of children with cancer survive. However, some see the disease return, sometimes years later, in a different and often more aggressive form.

The long-term effects of childhood cancer treatments — including chemotherapy, radiotherapy and major surgery — can also leave lasting consequences and increase certain health risks. This is why research must not stop when a child is declared cancer-free.

Understanding what happens afterwards, monitoring long-term health, anticipating complications and developing less toxic treatments for young, developing bodies are all essential challenges. They are also among the issues that Imagine for Margo is committed to addressing through its work.

Francine speaks about Camille with a dignity that commands respect. She could have chosen to remain silent, to withdraw into her grief and keep this story to herself. Instead, she chose to speak out — because she believes it is what Camille would have wanted.

“What matters when supporting charities like Imagine for Margo is raising awareness of this cause and making sure that, even though it is a difficult subject, people do not look away.”

Not looking away. Perhaps that is one of the hardest things we can ask of people when it comes to childhood cancer. Because it is painful. Because it reminds us of our own vulnerability. Because we would rather believe that these things only happen to other people.

But Camille was just like any other young woman. She was sporty, full of plans and full of life. And it is precisely because she was like everyone else — because any child can be affected — that this fight concerns us all.

Supporting Imagine for Margo means choosing not to look away. It means taking action, however small, to help research move forward. So that fewer families have to go through what Francine and Ludovic experienced. So that Camille’s motto, inspired by Margo’s courageous fight — Go, Fight, Win — does not remain just a wish, but becomes a reality for every child with cancer.

For Camille. 2000–2023.