Fantastic News is Coming to the Cowichan Valley

Elly Ruge - Breast Cancer Survivor and Dragon Diva

As we all know, breast cancer touches 1 in 8 women in Canada and it is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada and the second leading cause of death from cancer in women.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001. My diagnosis was determined by the use of a mammography machine at the Cowichan District Hospital. Breast cancer does not run in my family, however, I was educated through reading and listening that mammograms are important for women starting at I believe 40 years old. The staff at the CDH are courteous, warm and friendly, making the procedure very pleasant.

Early detection is the key! There are more treatment options and a much better chance for survival. I underwent chemo and hair loss, yet I am now a survivor of 20 years! I am grateful to be alive and I am loving life.

The Cowichan District Hospital Foundation is asking you to help them purchase new mammography equipment. The last time the CDH needed new mammography equipment, the Cowichan Community rallied and we raised the necessary funds to purchase the new equipment.

It is now time to replace this old equipment with a new, modern unit that uses tomosynthesis. Breast tomosynthesis is an advanced form of mammography. It is also called 3D mammography where these image sets help minimize the tissue overlap that can hide cancers to make it difficult to distinguish normal overlapping breast tissue from tumours. Tomosynthesis provides clearer images of abnormalities within dense breast tissue. Women whose breast cancer is detected at an early stage have a 93% or higher survival rate in the first 5 years.

On my journey with breast cancer, I was fortunate to find a new sport for me! It was dragon boating in Cowichan Bay. What a wonderful activity it is and the camaraderie of the team is infectious!!

I joined the Cowichan Valley Dragon Divas team in 2005 and have been an active paddler ever since. Dragon boating was determined to be a great sport for women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer. The 1st Breast Cancer Dragon boat team in the world was started in Vancouver by Abreast in a Boat in 1996 and now there are 100’s of teams worldwide. The Dragon Divas competed in many festivals on Vancouver Island, as well as Australia, Israel (first time a dragon boat raced on the Sea of Galilee), USA and other places in Canada. The team has been made up of survivors, supporters and other cancer survivors. The Dragon Divas did some awesome fundraising throughout the years and supported the Cowichan District Hospital with their purchase of a mammography machine 12 years ago.

So now, it is time for a new machine.

Large population studies have shown that breast tomosynthesis results in improved breast cancer detections and fewer “call backs”, instances where women are called back from screening for additional testing because of an abnormal finding.

Cowichan Valley - Let us come together so that we can transform the experience of over 3000 women in the valley who have mammograms.

“In British Columbia, approximately 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer. Mammography plays an important role in finding breast cancers. Traditionally, 2-D images are viewed by a radiologist to identify abnormal breast tissue, which can be challenging. An advanced type of mammogram called tomosynthesis is available where multiple layers of the breast can be seen which helps find possible cancers when they are small. We are excited to bring this advanced technology to our community.” -Mike Kozoriz

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Elly Ruge resides in the. Cowichan Valley and is a breast cancer survivor of 20+ years.