On October 6, the PRHC Foundation welcomed members of the Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival Planning Committee, the Survivors Abreast Dragon Boat Team, Platinum Sponsor Kawartha Credit Union, paddlers, volunteers and supporters, to celebrate the Festival’s historic achievement: A record-breaking donation of $400,104.01 – the largest single gift in the Festival’s history!
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September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Mom Victoria Wasson, dad Stephen Moloney, brother Wyatt and sister Harper – who recently donated $5,309.80 to the PRHC Foundation from an earlier fundraiser – are inviting the community to lace up their skates to support the smallest and bravest cancer warriors among us.
Wyatt was just eight months old when he was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma. Throughout every treatment and hospital stay, he received expert, compassionate care at PRHC. His family is passionate about giving back by supporting pediatric cancer care at the Health Centre. This month it’s through Blades of Bravery, a special family-friendly open skate.
Come and enjoy hot chocolate, sweet treats, and the warmth of a community united for a meaningful cause. Please sport your yellow or gold to show your support for childhood cancer awareness.
Cancer Takedown is returning to the stage for a fourth straight year – now with two shows! This spirit- and fundraiser will take place in both Peterborough and Lindsay.
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As the number of cancer cases in our region continues to grow, so does the urgency for faster, more precise diagnoses and treatment plans.
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Get ready for an action-packed day at Trent River Stables. It’s the 2nd annual Jackpot Barrel Race in support of cancer care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre.
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Powered by the PRHC Foundation’s $60 million Campaign for PRHC, our regional hospital will bring critical advancements like digital pathology to our region, keeping Peterborough Regional Health Centre at the forefront of medical innovation.
With the help of donors, PRHC is committed to transforming the future of healthcare in our community, and digital pathology is a key part of that vision. “Almost everyone will be impacted by cancer at some point in their life,” says pathologist Dr. Katie O’Reilly, PRHC’s Medical Director of Laboratory Medicine and PRHC Foundation ambassador for digital pathology. “If we don’t make a strategic decision now to digitize the pathology lab, we and our region’s patients will be left behind.”
Dr. O’Reilly is often asked what pathology is. Many people are unaware of the laboratory or what they do there, but it’s essential to many areas of care, including cancer care.
“If you come to the hospital for cancer care, there’s going to be some decision made in our laboratory in some way,” says Dr. O’Reilly. Pathology plays a vital role in cancer diagnosis and treatment planning. Digital pathology can speed up the process. Instead of relying on traditional glass slides, high-resolution digital images can be shared electronically between laboratories and pathologists, no matter where they’re located, making collaboration easier.
Right now, there’s a shortage of pathologists everywhere and cancer rates are on the rise – there were over 23,000 cancer care visits last year at PRHC. In addition, PRHC’s laboratory provides support for four partner hospitals. In total, 2.3 million tests were run through the laboratory in the last year.
Dr. O’Reilly believes this innovative technology will be a game changer for patient care in our region. “There’s more work than there are pathologists, so we’re hoping digital pathology can help us do more with less,” says Dr. O’Reilly.
Bringing digital pathology to PRHC will have many benefits, including:
With continued investment from donors, the PRHC Foundation’s $60 million Campaign for PRHC will help bring this state-of-the-art solution to our regional hospital.
“Donor support is essential to making digital pathology a reality at PRHC,” says Lesley Heighway, PRHC Foundation President & CEO. “Our donors are the driving force behind this campaign, helping us bring vital advancements in healthcare to our region.”
Dr. O’Reilly believes now is the time to bring this essential technology to PRHC and she knows it can’t be done without donor support: “Every bit of our work is possible because of the generosity of donors. Thank you so much.”
For more information or to donate, please call 705-876-5000 or click here.
When Jennie Ireland got the diagnosis she’d been dreading, she suddenly found herself a 42-year-old single mom with breast cancer, scared of what her illness would mean for her son. But being able to get care in her community with donor-funded equipment meant less worry. “Receiving care at PRHC was my lifeline,” she says.
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On Saturday June 14, 2025 Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival will be back at Little Lake in Del Crary Park, Peterborough for a great day on the water in support of PRHC Foundation and cancer care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre!
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In 2024, PRHC introduced exciting, new donor-funded technology for breast cancer patients called breast seed localization. As PRHC general surgeon Dr. Brie Banks explained at the Peterborough’s Dragon Boat Festival donation presentation in June, the technology is already making an impact on care.
Essentially, breast seed localization is a tiny radioactive seed, about the size of a grain of rice, placed directly at the site of a patient’s tumour. It helps surgeons locate the tumour more precisely during surgery.
This process is a big improvement from older methods, which were less comfortable, more invasive and stressful for patients. And the best part? Because of this donor-funded advancement, PRHC can perform more breast cancer surgeries every day. That means more patients are getting the care they need, faster.
“Having breast seed at PRHC has dramatically increased access to state-of-the-art surgery for breast cancer patients. Not only are we able to look after more patients in the day, but the process is much less difficult for them. Seed localization is more comfortable and convenient,” says Dr. Banks. “I want to express my sincere thanks and appreciation to all the donors who made this advancement possible.”
