Current Need

“Life’s persistent and most urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’”

Martin Luther King Jr.

Dear Friends;

I want to thank you for your continued support of the Foundation and for your gift to our spring campaign in support of critical equipment for our Medical Device Reprocessing department. Thanks to your support, our campaign reached its goal, enabling the funding of a new ultrasonic unit to clean and sterilize medical implements used every day in our health centre.

Today I am writing to you about a new opportunity to invest in the healthcare needs of, primarily, women in our community for whom breast cancer is not only a fear, but also a reality. Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer for women in Nova Scotia, with more than 800 women diagnosed annually.  In Canada, one in eight women will be diagnosed in their lifetime. The key to fighting it lies in early detection.

Regular mammograms have proven to be the most effective tool in detecting breast cancer at its earliest and most treatable stages. That's why, with your help, the foundation will fund a new $600,000 mammography unit. A Screening mammogram looks for unsuspected, hidden cancer in healthy women who have never had a breast cancer. Approximately 150 mammograms are performed each week at your hospital. Our Current mammorgraphy unit went into use in 2010 and, due to its age and recent breakdowns, it has become a priority for replacement.  

To date Foundation donors have donated approximately $560,000 and your gift will help ensure that women in your community have the best odds at fighting the disease. The new mammography unit was designed for women by women and is engineered for a better patient experience while delivering a much lower radiation dose. The unit also features a wireless, hand-held paddle which helps give the patient some control. After the technologist has completed positioning the patient and reached a required threshold of compression, the patient can decide, pound by pound, how much additional compression they are comfortable applying to get the clearest image. The new design will also help reduce physical strain for both the patient and the technologist.    

With your support, the Foundation will also fund the first specimen radiography unit for our surgical suite at a cost of approximately $150,000, for women whose mammogram detects an abnormality that requires a biopsy, lumpectomy or mastectomy.  Specimen Radiography is a crucial tool. providing pathologists and surgeons with detailed images of tissue samples. These images help determine the extent of the disease and help ensure the best possible outcome for patients. This precision helps significantly reduce weeks of stress as patients await word from their surgical procedure and also decreases the need for patients to return to the hospital for additional procedures.    

Your gift to this campaign is not just an investment in technology; it is an investment in the well-being of countless women in our community. This equipment will empower our healthcare team to deliver accurate and timely diagnoses, saving lives and providing peace of mind to families. 

Please join me and make a gift today in support of the women that you and I care about most.  

Sincerely,

P.S. Approximately 150 women visit your health centre weekly for a mammogram. It might be you or your mother, sister, daughter or friend and they are relying on the expertise of medical professionals to make critical decisions about their health. You and I can help ensure that they have the tools they need to enhance their ability to deliver accurate diagnoses and precise treatments, thereby improving patient outcomes. Until there is a cure, you and I can continue to help make a difference by making the best care possible.

Click here to make a donation today!