Remembering Carley Allison; Five Years Later
Carley Allison playing the piano at her home in Toronto. (Image Courtesy of the Toronto Star).
Celebrating the legacy of a woman who was“[…] super outspoken, just a massive advocate […]” for those battling cancer.
Article by Maddie Tyler, AKSM News
TORONTO - It has been five years since the passing of Carley Elle Allison. Carley Allison was an inspirational figure skater and singer who battled a rare form of cancer called clear-cell sarcoma of the trachea. It was so rare that Carley was only the second documented case which made her one in 3.5 billion to be diagnosed.
You often hear of the slogan “F*** Cancer”. Carley lived that slogan. She wanted to make sure that the sarcoma did not get the best of her. Almost two weeks after being in the hospital, Carley took out her camera and started playing the piano while recording herself play One Direction’s More Than This with a trachea-tube. The video sparked global attention as people started to view the video. Even ranking in attention from Selena Gomez, Christina Grimmie and Hilary Duff.
Soon Carley realized that her music was having an impact on people from around the world and she was gaining a following of fans. Carley would decide to start a blog titled Always Smile which was a motto that Carley would live her daily life by. Through her blog, she documented her cancer journey and shared it with the world. Carley’s story became something that would be therapeutic to others who were going through the same process.
Carley had found an outlet where she could share with others her story and be able to make an impact on those who were going through the same thing. She began a blog chronicling her cancer journey and her story of hope. Carley lived by her motto of “Always Smile”. Even during her hardest days she smiled through them and stayed strong.
Carley lost her battle over cancer on March 31, 2015 at the age of 19; leaving a family and world broken. However that loss would turn once again into hope. Carley’s family embarked on creating a foundation in Carley’s memory called the Carley’s Angels Foundation. Through her foundation, the Allison family wanted to be able to share Carley’s spirit of hope with other patients and families that are experiencing the same thing. Carley’s foundation would grow stronger than ever with countless numbers of fundraisers and events to support others who suffer from rare diseases. The foundation even has jewelry and clothing lines where 99% of each purchase supports the foundation’s mission to “unite traditional and holistic cancer care.”
Carley’s story was brought to the big screen in 2017 when actress - and one of Carley’s closest friends - Sarah Fisher portrayed Carley in the feature-length film Kiss and Cry. The film became a platform for Carley’s Angels and spread their message of hope and healing to a wider audience. After the film came a book in Carley’s voice called Always Smile: Carley Allison’s Secrets for Laughing, Loving and Living by young adult author Alice Kuipers. Sarah Fisher’s take on her close friend combined with Kuipers’ adaptation of Carley’s voice create a media bundle that will ensure Carley’s legacy and message of hope live on for generations to come.
Carley has been gone for five years, however it feels as if she is still here. Every minute of everyday. Carley once said, “If I am dwelling on it or concentrated on the negatives, it will only do me wrong […] I have to stay as positive as I can.” That was Carley Allison in a nutshell. A ball of positivity and hope, not just for herself but for others around the world.