Brenda McCarthy’s cancer diagnosis changed her life, but it also changed the life of many people she’ll never meet.
She had no idea how many people’s lives her diagnosis would end up touching.
In 2019, after McCarthy’s diagnosis, she approached the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation to fundraise for equipment for the Cape Breton Cancer Centre. It was to be the very first of its kind in Cape Breton.
McCarthy set in motion a fundraising effort to fully fund stereotactic body radiation therapy in Cape Breton. SBRT is an accelerated and ultra-precise form of radiation therapy which is recommended for certain cancers.
Instead of several weeks, the treatment is delivered in one to five days. It spares healthy tissue surrounding the tumour and offers cancer patients a much greater quality of life.
This life-saving treatment was recommended to McCarthy, but unfortunately, she was unable to travel for the treatment and at that time it was not offered in Cape Breton.
Prior to RadioDay 2019, last October, our donors had funded just about half of the nearly $300,000 cost and by the end of the day, we had funded 94 per cent.
In June of 2020, McCarthy passed away after her battle and soon after, the first patients were receiving SBRT treatments here in Cape Breton. Thanks to her.
I bring this up because Cape Bretoners showed us they’re willing to give back when it comes to changing lives. Our community is willing to make generosity commonplace and normalize charitable giving, especially when they can impact lives of friends, family and neighbours.
We all yearn for change and often Cape Breton has a reputation for not being settled and content. Maybe that’s because we always want better for those we care about. Cape Breton, by nature, is resilient in the face of adversity.
Cape Breton made a name for itself off the back of steel production, coal mining, fishing and many other industries. We are taught to be tough and work hard for what we think our families deserve. We are conditioned to push the limits of what’s possible to earn what our parents could have only dreamed of having. We’re fighters and we’re proud.
This year, another opportunity has presented itself. A chance to bring something brand new to Cape Breton. For the first time ever, we can have a piece of equipment that will prevent delays in cancer diagnoses and reduce wait times for treatment plans. CellaVision is a piece of equipment that processes blood results on the spot — in real time — right in our hospital.
It uses remote technology so that when abnormal cells are seen, it allows for the medical laboratory technologists at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital and pathologists in Halifax to be looking at the same cells in real time. Incredibly, it will offer an average of 17 cancer patients each day access to these quicker results.
On RadioDay 2020, we want to fund as much of this equipment as we can. Your decision to give will help those 17 patients every single day.
Cape Breton rallies behind what’s right and we fight for what we need. In the face of economic uncertainty, we support one another to make sure businesses don’t need to shut their doors permanently. When new opportunities show up on our doorstep, we get behind them to help propel them further.
I’m asking Cape Breton to do what it does best. Stand up for those who need it. Get behind an opportunity to change lives for cancer patients who are facing their most difficult and challenging days. You’ve done it before and you can do it again.
When a charity presents you with an opportunity to fix something that is cracked, broken or has never existed, I encourage you to consider helping shape the changes we need.
On Thursday, Oct. 8, be a part of something special. Give back to ensure every person waiting on a cancer diagnosis can either have peace of mind or can begin the long and difficult road of treatment.
When it comes to cancer, every minute counts and your kindness could offer patients precious minutes that just may save their life.
Mark Inglis is the marketing and communications officer with the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation (@becauseucare) and has more than 10 years of experience in the education, communication and charitable sectors. He lives in North Sydney with his family.
