‘I’m very sensitive to animals, they can’t protect themselves’: Angela Wood, mother and cancer survivor, on doing WWF’s BC Place Climb for Nature

Angela Wood, a mother of two from Surrey, B.C., migrates regularly between her Lower Mainland home and a property on Pender Island, a short ferry ride from the southeast coast of Vancouver Island. Being enveloped by the West Coast’s natural majesty her whole life has given Angela a passion for wildlife.

“I’m very sensitive to animals,” she says. “They don’t have a voice — they can’t speak, they can’t protect themselves. I guess it’s innately in me to care deeply.”

So much so, that she’d never let her experience with breast cancer keep her from helping to safeguard wildlife. Angela and her team, Wild at Heart, will be tackling the stadium steps on Oct. 24, 2026. Will you join her?

Being born and raised in B.C., what is your personal relationship with nature?

I mean, gosh, we live in such a beautiful place. You become very educated with the orcas and seals, everything that’s happening out there in the ocean.

You go to the Cariboo or the Okanagan [in the Interior]. You go to Vancouver Island, to the northern tip. I’m hoping to go to Haida Gwaii next year.

I feel like we need to invest a little bit more of our time educating ourselves — and protecting things if we can, in whatever ways we can.

What inspired you to sign up for the climb?

My mom’s a traveller, and she introduced the idea of going to see polar bears [in Churchill, Man.] because I’ve always had a fascination. She took me on that trip in 2018 [which raised money for conservation].

I can’t go on all the trips that I want, and offer support that way, but I can try to talk about [WWF-Canada]. I can try to fundraise for the organization. And I can try to do something that’s challenging for me, especially with my health the last few years.

What was it like seeing polar bears in person?

It’s surreal. You get on the little plane from Winnipeg, and you can see the whole terrain as you’re looking out — like, ‘Wow, I’m going way off the main path here.’

We saw quite a few, which was really neat. At one point we had the opportunity to see them sparring, two bears stand up and they’re going at each other. They were quite young, like a year old. I just remember going, ‘I can’t believe I’m seeing this for real, right there!’

I can’t believe the impact of everything we do to these animals. You come home and you think about the world a little differently.

How did your health influence your decision to do the climb?

Over the last year and a half, I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about things that give back and things that are good for my mind and body. Cancer makes you think about things that maybe you hadn’t really given a lot of thought to before. You get to this point where it’s not about things you can’t do. It’s, well, what can you do?

So, when [the event] came across my phone, I’m like, ‘I’m doing that!’ I didn’t even register at first what those steps would mean, because I do struggle with energy a little bit. I’m doing good, but it has taken time to start feeling better. But it was a no-brainer. I’m going to do this, and I’ll find some people to do it with me, to be part of a cause that I care about and get the word out.

I’m in remission, but cancer is always there. Not a day goes by that I don’t go, ‘Oh, is it in there just waiting to surface? It really does unfortunately change you forever, so every opportunity to try something new, I’m like, ‘Yes, I’ll do that!’

And that attitude also sends a message.

There are going to be people I know who face cancer, and if they go, ‘Boy, she still just kept trying to do stuff, she just kept trying,’ maybe that will help them, y’know? And when the climb is done, then I get to go, ‘Well, what’s the next challenge?’

If you challenge yourself, you keep yourself in the game. Part of recovery, both mentally and physically, is just challenging yourself to do stuff, even stuff that you might not have done before cancer. But now, well, now I have to see if I can do it.

What would you say to someone who might be going through similar health issues?

First, it’s easier said than done for some people, but I do believe that if we just continually believe that we can’t do something — or something has impacted us and we can no longer keep forging ahead — that could snowball into a whole bunch of other things. ,

The experience is horrible, and not everybody survives the experience, and I know that I’m lucky thus far. But I do think our mindset can play an important part in helping us through it.

In light of all this, how are you preparing for the climb?

Just going to the gym and doing the steps. That’s a big thing, just having the cardio. I don’t want to be doing it for like six hours. I’d like to be able to get in there and get this thing done.

So even if it’s easier than I’m expecting it would be, I have to plan for it just to be really hard. Because then everything’s a bonus after that.