Diane Sims, a local writer, will be recognized at a ceremony in Ottawa in January with the Order of Canada.
Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis as a teen, Sims was told by doctors that she wouldn't live past 35.
Defying the odds, Sims has overcome MS, ovarian cancer, and other medical conditions to write a book about her life story called Living Beyond the Shadow.
Sims also wrote a piece for Maclean's about her decision to pursue medical assistance in dying to bring attention to the subject.
The Order of Canada honour came as a surprise to Sims, who said she was "thoroughly surprised, utterly delighted and overwhelmingly humbled."
"I was lying in bed going through my morning routine when the phone rang. This lovely woman, Emily Sauve, said she was calling from the Governor General’s office. One of the nicest things I could ever imagine.”