Donor-funded care close to home kept a young cancer patient’s family together at the holidays – help them ensure the same for others

City of Kawartha Lakes parents Ian and Michelle say a dark cloud was cast over their lives last year when doctors delivered the news that their four-year-old daughter, Summer, had hepatoblastoma, a rare, “one in a million” form of liver cancer. Doctors explained that the tumour was large and perilously close to major blood vessels in Summer’s liver. Ian and Michelle were left speechless, in shock.

As the family tried to wrap their heads around their little girl’s diagnosis, Summer immediately had to begin cancer treatment in Toronto – a considerable distance from their home. They found themselves in a wild juggling act that added another layer of uncertainty and fear to the situation: uprooting their family, finding childcare for their son, requesting a leave of absence from work, and grappling with growing travel expenses.

“The trip to Toronto for Summer’s initial treatment wasn’t easy for our family,” says Michelle. “We’d hit the road at 4:45 a.m. to beat the traffic, but waking our little one so early was tough. She often felt nauseous during the drive, so we kept sickness bags handy. Our son stayed with his grandma when we had to stay in Toronto. It was heartbreaking to be separated from him.”

Relief came when doctors informed Ian and Michelle that Summer could continue her critical cancer care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre. “We can’t begin to describe what it was like to watch our child go through this. It’s a heavy burden that no child, no family should bear,” says Ian. “But getting our daughter’s care close to home made the challenges of her disease a little easier. It was a glimmer of light in our darkest hour. We were even able to be together for the holidays last year.”

He and Michelle credit generous PRHC Foundation donors for their role in Summer’s care at PRHC, since community donations – not the government – funded the incredible amount of equipment used by PRHC’s compassionate doctors, nurses and staff to provide critical cancer care services, all under one roof.

“We’ll never be able to express how truly thankful we are for donors’ past support of PRHC. They helped the experts save her life,” Michelle says.

Those wonderful healthcare providers are another reason the family is grateful for Summer’s care being delivered at PRHC. “The doctors and nurses treated us like extended family,” says Ian.

Today, Summer is happy and healthy, doing all the things a five-year-old should be doing: dancing, gymnastics, and making her wish list for Santa. Ian and Michelle now take each day as it comes, cherishing every moment with their young family and being mindful of how precious their time together is.

Getting care close to home had such an impact on them that they want to make sure it remains a possibility for others from across the region. “After Summer’s treatment, we decided to become donors. We wanted to do something to help. To say thank you for the extraordinary care Summer received, while making things more bearable for other families like ours, for all patients at PRHC,” says Ian.

Those patients come from the city and county of Peterborough, Northumberland County, east Durham, the Haliburton Highlands, and Lindsay and the City of Kawartha Lakes. In fact, the hospital serves a population of 600,000 people. That means there a lot of loved ones across our region who might have to seek care from PRHC during one of the toughest moments in their lives.

That’s why, at this time of year especially, ambassadors like Ian and Michelle are asking you to reflect on the importance of family and community and decide to help more patients get the care they need, where and when they need it most – right here – by donating to the PRHC Foundation.

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.

Jennie says thanks for her care by helping ensure others can get the care they need

It was 5:30 p.m. by the time Jennie Ireland got the diagnosis she’d been dreading. Suddenly, she was a 42-year-old single mom with a seven-year-old son, aging parents, and she’d just been diagnosed with breast cancer.

“Looking back, it was an awful time,” Jennie says. On sleepless nights, she worried about what her illness would mean for her son, Liam. Could she take him to hockey practice and help him with his schoolwork? Would she be there to watch him grow up? “But I refused to give up hope,” she says. “And receiving care at PRHC was my lifeline.”

Jennie explains that being able to get care in her community with donor-funded technology meant less worry. Without it, she would have had to travel to Toronto, Oshawa or even Kingston for months on end. “I believe it had a positive impact on my recovery,” she says. “Because I was able to get care close to home, I could focus on what mattered most: Getting better and keeping life as normal as possible for my son.”

Like many people, Jennie was surprised to find out that the government doesn’t fund hospital equipment and that a population of more than 600,000 relies on PRHC for care. This includes people from the city and county of Peterborough, the City of Kawartha Lakes, Northumberland County, east Durham, and the Haliburton Highlands.

Patients come to PRHC with a wide range of needs, from treatment for cancer, heart attacks and strokes, to surgery or mental health care. They may be seeking treatment in an emergency, or because of a chronic condition. Whatever the reason, Jennie wants to ensure that like her, others can get the care they need, close to home.

“I became a donor, volunteer fundraiser and a PRHC Foundation ambassador to help our hospital upgrade its technology so that more patients like me can get the care they need when they need it most,” says Jennie. “But PRHC can only do it with our help. I’d like everyone who can to join me in donating so doctors, nurses and staff have the best equipment to provide the best care.”

To donate, please call 705-876-5000 or click here.

Donate your empties or cash at The Beer Store to benefit PRHC

Thank you and cheers to The Beer Store for making it easy to give back this summer!

From July 3 to August 27, Beer Stores are raising funds to support hospitals and foodbanks in their communities – the Peterborough and area Beer Stores will be collecting empties and cash donations in support of Peterborough Regional Health Centre!

Enjoy the summer and as you head home from the cottage, trailer or campsite, please consider dropping off your empties (consumed responsibly) at any of the following Beer Store locations starting July 3, to help fund equipment and technology at PRHC:

• 570 Lansdowne St. W., Peterborough
• 139 George St. N., Peterborough
• 1154 Chemong Rd., Peterborough
• 1900 Lansdowne St. W., Peterborough
• 882 Ward St., Bridgenorth
• 102 Queen St., PO Box 520, Lakefield

Go fish! Fishing For a Cure is a day of musky fishing in support of pediatric cancer care at PRHC

After Ian Wallace’s 4-year-old daughter was diagnosed with liver cancer last summer, they started treatment at Sick Kids and were connected with the POGO Satellite Clinic at Peterborough Regional Health Centre. “This allowed us to receive many of our treatments, checkups and blood work much closer to home,” says Ian. “It has meant so much to our family to be able to spend more time together and less time and expenses travelling.”

Now, Ian wants to help ensure other families can benefit from expert, compassionate cancer care close to home. He’s organized Fishing For a Cure, a musky fishing event across the Kawartha Lakes, with all proceeds going to the PRHC Foundation in support of pediatric cancer care at PRHC.

  • Date: Saturday, August 19th
  • Location: Fish any of the Kawartha Lakes
  • Entry fee: Minimum donation of $75/angler (2 anglers/boat)
  • Prizes to be won!

To register or sponsor the event, please email Ian or call him at 416-919-9846.

Calling all cyclists: Join the Hunter Fondo in support of great care at two hospitals

The Peterborough Cycling Club presents the Hunter Fondo, Saturday, August 19th, in memory of cycling enthusiast John Hunter.

There are only 250 spots available for this wonderful event and registration closes August 12th. Cyclists can choose any of three routes, including new this year, a 40km ride mostly on the Trans Canada Trail.

Proceeds will be split between a donation to the PRHC Foundation in support of cardiac care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre and a donation to the CMH Foundation for Campbellford Memorial Hospital, so pedal on over to the PCC website for more details and to sign up.

Build a gift box for Father’s Day in support of PRHC!

Once again this Father’s Day, Living Local Marketplace has teamed up with the Peterborough Regional Health Centre Foundation in support of world-class care at your regional hospital!

When you build a gift box, choosing from hundreds of lovely, local products sourced from across the province, $5 will be donated to help fund state-of-the-art technology, fuel innovation, and bring lifesaving new services to the region. 

Will it be salty, saucy, savoury, spicy, sudsy or sweet? The perfect gift is the one you create, so you decide! With their compliments and thanks for loving local, Living Local Marketplace will package up your purchase, and top it off with some amazing artwork by Christine Liu of Paper Crown Designs in Peterborough. 

You can build your box online for pick-up, local delivery or shipping across the country. Or, shop in-store at the corner of Chemong and Milroy in Peterborough, Wednesday through Saturday, 11am-5pm.

Thank you, Living Local Marketplace and customers, for your wonderful support!

Jennie Ireland says thanks

If you’ve lived with cancer or supported a loved one through treatment, you know how hard it is. Not only the illness itself, but the treatment, too. Cancer care patient Jennie Ireland explains that that’s why receiving care at Peterborough Regional Health Centre was her lifeline. She says it’s thanks to caring people like you that she’s now cancer-free, because PRHC Foundation donors funded the equipment her doctors used to save her life.

“Being able to get my treatment in my community meant less worry and I believe, had a positive impact on my recovery. Without it, I would have had to travel to Toronto, Oshawa or even Kingston, for months on end,” says Jennie. “So, I’m so thankful to donors for all the ways you’ve supported cancer care at our hospital. Your donations really do make a difference. I know I didn’t realize the full extent, though, until I experienced it firsthand.”

There are many more patients like Jennie. With rising patient volumes, especially in cancer care, our region needs the latest technology to help doctors find and treat complex cases faster and more safely, shorten wait times, and save more lives. That’s why supporting investments in essential areas that support cancer care, like interventional radiology, is crucial. And it’s just one of the areas PRHC is investing in to address this demand.

One of the important upgrades needed as part of PRHC’s $6 million investment in minimally invasive interventional radiology is an advanced, portable ultrasound machine. The latest interventional radiology ultrasound systems provide fast, detailed imaging for the most accurate visualization and advanced needle navigational assistance – critical in finding a safe path to the desired area inside the body without puncturing vessels, bowel or other organs.

At PRHC, interventional radiology ultrasound is used during tumour or organ lesion biopsies and in the placement of port-a-caths and PICC lines – which allow for less obvious, longterm access to chemotherapy, with less risk of infection.

Jennie had a PICC line inserted in an interventional radiology procedure at PRHC as part of her cancer treatment. She says she was terrified, but because it was done locally her mom could come with her. She explains what it meant to her:

“After I was diagnosed with an aggressive, fast-growing tumour that had spread to my lymph nodes, my days were filled with scans, surgeries, and rounds of chemo and radiation. I quickly became familiar with every corner of the hospital – even places I’d never heard of like interventional radiology.

“That’s where they put my PICC line in,” she adds. “This was the ‘port’ that was used to deliver my chemotherapy. It stayed in my arm for months, giving me longterm access to treatment, with less risk of infection. I could shower or even swim with it.”

PICC lines and other similar, implantable devices make life a little easier for patients when it really counts. With advanced new interventional radiology ultrasound technology that has improved image quality for vessel analysis, placement of these devices will be even easier for interventional radiologists – and their patients. The new equipment will also help in procedures where placing drains under image guidance is crucial, such as biliary, gallbladder, kidney and abscess tube insertions.

Jennie says, “It’s all this behind-the-scenes, donor-funded care that makes it possible for our hospital to provide lifesaving treatment – right here in Peterborough – under one roof. I can’t tell you what a relief it was that I could focus solely on my health without the added stress of arranging travel, meals, and lodging. My dad drove me to my appointments. My mom cooked dinner on infusion days when I was at my weakest and dealing with chemo side effects. Most importantly, I didn’t have to disrupt my son’s daily routine.”

Care close to home made a difference for Jennie and her family. She became a donor to the PRHC Foundation to help PRHC upgrade their cancer care technology so that more patients like her can get the care they need, where they need it most. You too can help shape the future of patient care at your hospital. To donate in support of this exciting interventional radiology investment or for more information, call 705-876-5000 or click here.

Happy Nursing Week!

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

All year long we receive online comments as well as Grateful Heart tribute donations with notes of thanks full of appreciation for the expert, compassionate care you provide to your PRHC patients and their families. Those donations 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. 

In celebration of Nursing Week, here’s a special video that includes a sample of the lovely Grateful Heart messages collected this year. 

 

Happy Doctors’ Day!

To all doctors, thank you for being here for us when it matters most! On this National Physicians’ Day – and every day – 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. Many donations include notes of appreciation that we love sharing with you all year long through the Foundation’s Grateful Heart tribute program.

In honour of Doctors’ Day, check out our video for a collection of some of the wonderful Grateful Heart messages received this year.

Tim Hortons Smile Cookie is back at PRHC May 1-7!

Get ready for Smile Cookie at a new time of year!

Tim Hortons Smile Cookie returns to the PRHC cafeteria Compass Canada Tim Hortons May 1-7 and we’re so grateful to be the charity of choice for this yummy event! 100% of proceeds from PRHC Compass Canada Tim Hortons Smile Cookie sales will be donated to help fund the equipment and technology used every day at Peterborough Regional Health Centre. 

Thanks to Retail Manager Warren Andrews and his team for all the work they do every year to make this fundraiser such a success and thanks to all the PRHC Smile Cookie fans for their support!