Rock ‘N You For The NICU in support of PRHC’s tiniest patients

Calling all music lovers! On September 28, Erben will be hosting a night of live music benefitting Peterborough Regional Health Centre’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The concert, sponsored by David O’Connor Real Estate and Johnny on the Spot, will be emceed by Bill Porter of Oldies 96.7. With headliners Washboard Hank and Cadence Grace, the night will showcase a mix of local and visiting talent, spanning genres such as rock, country, pop, folk, and Irish — all in support of PRHC’s tiniest patients. 

David O’Connor was inspired to create this event in honour of the care his son received in the NICU. David shared: “My son was a patient at the Peterborough NICU for five days after he was born and it was a very scary time for us. Our experience with the NICU was extremely positive as the care was outstanding.”

Rock ‘N You For The NICU 

  • Date: Saturday, September 28, 2024 – doors open at 6pm   
  • Location: Erben at 379 George St. N, Peterborough, ON
  • Tickets: $10 each, can be purchased here or at the door 
  • Direct donations can be made here – your donation will go twice as far because the two title sponsors are generously matching donations up to $500 each ($1,000 total) 

For more information about the event, please visit the event page.

Karma Yoga in the Park supporting cancer care at PRHC

Karma Yoga in the Park is a community-driven initiative where Bobcaygeon yoga teachers offer classes on a donation basis, with all proceeds supporting local causes and organizations. PRHC Foundation is honoured to have been chosen as beneficiary of DiscoverTree Holistic Support Services’ Lauren Bernard’s upcoming class. 

All funds raised at Lauren’s Yoga in the Park class will be donated in support of cancer care at PRHC – inspired by the care she received as part of her own journey with breast cancer. 

  • Date: August 31, 2024 at 10am
  • Location: Lock 32 Pavillion, Bobcaygeon, ON 
  • Donations: Classes are by donation, please bring cash or give online here

No reservations required, but please bring your own yoga mat and water. For more information or questions, please visit the DiscoverTree Holistic Support Services website. 

Tastely Box hosting fundraiser in support of cancer care at PRHC

Tastely Box has launched a sweet months-long fundraiser in support of Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival and in turn, cancer care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre! Owners Polly and James Laneville were inspired to host this fundraiser in honour of the care Polly’s late mother received at PRHC.

20%-40% from almost all in-store and online purchases will be donated to the PRHC Foundation. PLUS, in-store customers will be automatically entered into a raffle to win a gift basket courtesy of Modern Makers Shop. And customers who donate through the onsite Tiptap machine (pictured with Polly, above) get a free PRHC & Dragon Boat mini mix!

  • Date: Until November 2024
  • Location: Tastely Box at 651 Chamberlain St, Unit 1, Peterborough, ON or online
  • In-store shopping hours:
    • Sunday 12-4pm
    • Monday-Tuesday closed
    • Wednesday-Saturday 12-6pm

For more information or questions, please visit the Tastely Box website. 

Heart of Healthcare – Episode 4: The $60 Million Campaign for PRHC

This time, Lesley Heighway, PRHC Foundation President & CEO and usual host of Heart of Healthcare, sits down in the hot seat. Local media personality and Foundation donor, Mike Melnik, asks her the questions – they discuss the impact of the $60 million campaign, how funds will be invested, and she addresses a common concern: Facing system-wide healthcare challenges, how can we make sure our patients don’t get left behind?

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Grateful cancer patient sharing her journey through her personal fundraising page

“I was worried. I have two young daughters; how could I not be scared for how this could alter their lives? My youngest is 5, would she even remember me?”

Meet Diana Freeman, a devoted mom, loving wife, and dedicated professional. At just 38, her world was turned upside down when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in March.

Diana shares, “Surviving cancer is not just clearing your body of the disease; it is healing the body while battling the fears and emotions that come with it. And to survive, it starts with having hope. For many, including myself, the seed of hope is first planted at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.”

Inspired by the desire to give back for the expert, compassionate care she is receiving, Diana has launched a fundraiser in support of cancer care at PRHC. She is sharing her journey through breast cancer treatment on her social media channels and personal fundraising page, to inspire others, raise awareness about breast cancer and the importance of self-assessments, and to highlight the significance of expert, compassionate cancer care close to home.

As of May 2024, just two months after her diagnosis, Diana has already raised almost $5,000 for cancer care at PRHC. The funds raised will help the Health Centre invest in new state-of-the-art equipment and technology, support earlier cancer diagnosis, and provide safer, more effective treatments for more patients.

By supporting Diana’s fundraiser, you can help PRHC continue to provide the highest quality of cancer care, close to home.

Follow Diana’s brave journey and support her mission by clicking here to stay updated and make a donation.

Your support can help PRHC’s doctors perform more precise tumour removals and reduce surgery wait times

In the moments immediately following surgery, many breast cancer patients ask one important question: “Did you get it all?”

Dr. Brie Banks, a general surgeon at PRHC, knows how much this question means to them. It’s not just about the surgery.

“When patients ask, ‘Did you get it all?’ they’re really asking if they have permission to hope,” says Dr. Banks. “They want to know if the surgery went well and if they’re on the road to recovery.”

Breast cancer affects 12,500 women every year in Ontario, and those numbers continue to rise. Nearly all of those women will need surgery as part of their treatment—a lumpectomy being one of them.

Waiting for cancer surgery can be unbearable. Time crawls.

Patients have many worries: Is the cancer spreading? Will the surgery work? What will I look like after?

When patients arrive hours early at PRHC on the morning of their surgery, currently the first thing on the to-do list is having an eight-inch wire inserted into the breast by a radiologist, to mark the tumour.

Then, the patient waits, sitting for hours in a hospital gown with the wire protruding. It’s uncomfortable and frightening.

If the wire shifts, it complicates the surgery, making it difficult to remove all of the tumour without taking too much healthy tissue. It’s a process that adds anxiety and risk to an already difficult day.

There is a technology that can improve this aspect of breast cancer patient care and transform the experience for thousands of breast cancer patients in our region. It can make surgery easier and more precise, and reduce a patient’s worry and wait. It’s called breast seed localization technology and the PRHC Foundation is committed to funding it at PRHC.

With this new technology, a radiologist will place a tiny radioactive seed, as small as a grain of rice, instead of a wire to mark the cancer. This can be done a month before surgery and takes only 15 minutes. After placing the seed, patients can go back to their daily lives.

Then, during surgery, surgeons use a special tool to find and remove the tumour using the seed as a guide. This results in less scarring and physical change to the breast.

Beyond improving patient care, this new wireless technology will allow Dr. Banks and her colleagues to perform more lumpectomies—without the time constraints that come with wire placement on the day of surgery. With breast seed localization, doctors at PRHC can operate on three more breast cancer patients a day. More surgeries will mean more patients get the care they need, sooner. 

Dr. Banks says donor support will directly shape the care she can provide, especially since the government doesn’t fund hospital equipment at PRHC. “Your donation will allow more patients to hear those comforting words, ‘We got it all,’ and give them hope.”

She became a donor herself because she’s seen the difference this technology makes in the patient experience during an already challenging time. “It offers a better option for breast cancer surgery. I want this available for my patients.”

You, too, can help shape the future of patient care at your hospital. To donate or for more information, call 705-876-5000 or click here.

Happy National Nursing Week!

To all nurses, thank you for being here for us when it matters most! During this National Nursing Week – and every week – we’re grateful for the compassionate care you provide to patients from all across our region.

The expert work you do inspires donations in your honour to the PRHC Foundation to help you care for other patients. They fund state-of-the-art technology, fuel innovation, bring new services to our region, and in turn help the hospital attract more colleagues to join you at PRHC.

Happy National Nursing Week!