This is so thrilling! As you probably know by now, Mardi-Bras is a fund raiser in support of Princess Margaret Hospital. In the past 6 years that they have been doing the Weekend To End Breast Cancer, millions of dollars have been raised to support research, treatment, and survivorship services to one of the top 5 cancer hospitals in the world! One of the programs the WEBC has been seeding is the rapid diagnosis program. (One of the biggest weapons in fighting any kind of cancer is early diagnosis and treatment.) Thanks to an incredibly generous $12.5-million donation provided by Emmanuelle Gattuso and Allan Slaight, the Princess Margaret has announced same-day diagnosis, effectively eradicating a 37-day wait and all the anxiety that goes with it!
How phenomenal is that?! We're so excited about it, I'm pasting the full WEBC newsletter and corresponding links below, it's really worth checking out. As terrific as this news is, the fight isn't over yet. Although we'd all love to have $12.5 million to donate, every little bit helps. So come on out and have a great time for a great cause at Mardi-Bras, and if you can't make it, you can still pledge the hospital directly through the WEBC for a tax receipt, or just to feel great about being part of the team who is going to beat cancer!!
Congratulations to PMH!
Dear Friend,
You are making a difference! Don’t stop fundraising. Every dollar counts. Today, The Princess Margaret Hospital announced the creation of The Gattuso Rapid Diagnostic Centre named after the generous gift of $12.5 million from Emmanuelle Gattuso and Allan Slaight. This centre was seed-funded by the dollars you raised during The Weekend to End Breast Cancer® benefiting The Campbell Family Institute at The Princess Margaret.
As there are often long wait times for breast cancer screening and diagnosis, patients of The Princess Margaret will be able to avoid the anxiety of waiting and receive same-day diagnosis.
The program and its capacity will grow over time. In the next few months the program will be able to accommodate 15 patients per week (or 750 per year) and will increase exponentially with a vision of diagnosing 3,000 patients per year by the time the program is running at full capacity in 2013. We hope The Rapid Diagnostic Centre will help transform patient care not just at The Princess Margaret but elsewhere.
Using a new pathology processor funded by The Weekend to End Breast Cancer participants and donors, the vision for the program is for women and men suspected of having breast cancer to receive all their tests, diagnosis, and treatment plan in one day at Princess Margaret Hospital.
The Globe and Mail has reported on this exciting news. To read more, view the article here.
Know that you are helping those like Karen Louie, who took part in a pilot project at the hospital, to fight a daunting disease. Ms. Louie was given her breast cancer diagnosis and a treatment plan within three hours of her biopsy in May 2008.
"When we left, we were shell-shocked, but felt reassured that at least we now knew what we were dealing with," Karen Louie, vice-president, general counsel and secretary at Harlequin Enterprises Ltd., said of the three-hour wait with her husband for a diagnosis. "We had a plan of action we could focus on."
Paul Alofs, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, said he hopes other centres can replicate the service and that it can be expanded to other kinds of cancer.
Sincerely,
The Weekend to End Breast Cancer
Benefiting The Campbell Family Institute at The Princess Margaret
The Bigger, Bolder Weekend. Fighting all women’s cancers, step by step.
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