Para hockey player Raphaëlle Tousignant, who became 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

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