THUNDER BAY – The Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre launched their Exceptional Cancer Care campaign in October 2013, aiming to raise $5.9 million.
More than 18 months later the campaign has fur surpassed that goal.
It was announced the campaign has raised $7,054,963 during a Sunday afternoon media conference held at the Thunder Bay Regional Sciences Centre that had about 250 people in attendance.
Attendees at the conference heard from hospital executives, campaign leaders and doctors as well as cancer survivors such as Shawn Christie, MPP Michael Gravelle and MP Bruce Hyer who all shared some of their experiences and the treatment they received at the hospital.
Campaign chair Paul Fitzpatrick said stories such as those, as well as reminders of those lost such as the late Susan Cameron and Jim Johnson who were each honoured with a $25,000 endowment fund, are reminders about why the campaign was undertaken.
“Numerous stories like that are extremely inspiring for not only our cabinet team but when we went out we were loaded with a beautiful video that told personal stories of people who experienced cancer and more importantly the treatment they received here,” Fitzpatrick said.
“Cancer is so far reaching and there is hardly anybody in our community who hasn’t been touched in some way.
The funds raised during the campaign allowed the hospital to purchase many new tools that allow for not only treatment of cancer, but research to determine better practices.
As a direct result of the more than $7 million, patients now have access to the integrated cancer screening coach, two linear accelerators, 13 new chemotherapy chairs, cyclotron, MicroPET scanner and surgical oncology equipment.
“We have the best equipment you can have and we have the best staff who know what to do with that equipment,” said Glenn Craig, the president and chief executive officer of the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Foundation.
“We’re all set now.”
The goal is the equipment can help make the survivor stories more common and increase the rate of people who are able to beat the disease.
“We need to have more stories like Michael and Shawn’s who can say they’re cancer free. Cancer doesn’t have to be a killer,” Craig said.
The drive was sparked in the later stages by a pledge made by the Paterson Foundation to match community donations up to $500,000, which occurred after donors came through with more than $550,000.
Craig said the foundation is hoping to launch another major campaign at some point in the future to bring open heart surgery to the hospital, though they need the province to make the first step.
