With an urgent need to bring a PET/CT scanner to Vancouver Island, BMO Financial Group has partnered with the BC Cancer Foundation to help make it a reality.
Now through Oct. 31, BMO Financial Group will match donations made to support the BC Cancer FoundationB次元官网网址檚 acquisition of a PET/CT scanner for the BC Cancer Agency Vancouver Island Centre up to $500,000.
B次元官网网址淎t BMO we believe in giving back to the communities where our customers and employees live,B次元官网网址� says Paul Seipp, Regional Vice President, BMO Bank of Montreal. B次元官网网址淲e are proud to partner with the BC Cancer Foundation to bring this important care tool closer to home for those in need.B次元官网网址�
The scanner is the most advanced diagnostic and treatment planning tool available today and will dramatically improve outcomes for the 6,000 people across Vancouver Island expected to be diagnosed with cancer every year.
B次元官网网址淎 PET/CT scanner houses some of the most sophisticated imaging technology currently available, enabling oncologists to develop the most appropriate treatment plan for patients with cancer,B次元官网网址� says Dr. Pete Tonseth, radiologist and nuclear medicine physician at the BC Cancer Agency. B次元官网网址淚t often changes management, which means some patients can be spared procedures and treatments such as biopsies, surgery or radiation therapy that are deemed unnecessary.B次元官网网址�
This year, more than 1,400 patients across Vancouver Island will require a PET/CT scan B次元官网网址� a 147 per cent increase in demand since 2012. Currently, patients and their families have to travel to Vancouver where the provinceB次元官网网址檚 two publicly-funded scanners are located.
ItB次元官网网址檚 an experience that Brenda Jagdis knows all too well.
Brenda was only 49 and a mother of three when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. While still reeling from her new cancer diagnosis, Brenda had to travel from the Island to the BC Cancer Agency Vancouver Centre for a PET/CT scan.
Her kids B次元官网网址� aged 12, 16 and 18, at the time B次元官网网址� were frightened by the news of their momB次元官网网址檚 cancer so she made the long journey to Vancouver and back in a single day.
B次元官网网址淭he whole trip, I tried keep the negative thoughts at bay,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淲ill I be there to see them graduate, establish careers, get married? Will I miss out on meeting my grandchildren?B次元官网网址�
With the rate of cancer expected to increase due to population growth and ageing, now is the time to bring this essential diagnostic tool to the region.
B次元官网网址淭hanks to the generous support from BMO Financial Group, we are one step closer to acquiring this revolutionary scanner for the benefit of Vancouver island families,B次元官网网址� says Alyssa Grace, senior director of development at the BC Cancer Foundation. B次元官网网址淲e ask members of our community to consider taking part in this campaign and help change the course of cancer care on Vancouver Island.B次元官网网址�
The matching gift opportunity runs until Oct. 31, 2017 and is part of a broader campaign to double PET/CT capacity across the province. Make a gift online today at .
cvanreeuwyk@oakbaynews.com
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