YOUR HEALTH MATTERS
QUARTERLY Your exclusive update on how your generosity is fighting for life
Fall 2023
INSIDE THIS ISSUE: MAKING GENEROSITY THE NORM …………........................ 3 A FAMILY TRADITION OF GENEROSITY ........................ 4 WARM & COMPASSIONATE CARE INSPIRES PARENTS TO GIVE BACK .................................... 5 HOW YOU’RE HELPING DIAGNOSE BREAST CANCER 4X FASTER ................................. 6 CANCER SURVIVOR HONOURS CAREGIVERS WITH GIFT THAT LASTS FOREVER.......................... 8
Katie and Deven’s family were touched by the care their family received at Royal Columbian Hospital
“We benefitted from the previous donors, so we just want to be a part of the cycle. Hopefully, people in front of us in the future will keep this going.” — Norm, past patient at RCH
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“It’s a loop: when you support the foundation, they support you and it all comes back.”
Making generosity the Norm How a nearly fatal aortic dissection led to monthly acts of gratitude When Norm’s heart broke, he was rushed to Royal Columbian. He had a tear in his aorta. A tear that, if not caught, could be fatal.
donation to Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation, too!
“We were very lucky that we’re this close to a world class organization,” said his wife, Betty.
“It’s a way we could be thankful for what we got from the hospital,” said Betty. “But we also realized what the foundation does for the hospital. I mean, whatever technology was used to diagnose Norm has to come from somewhere. With that knowledge, we knew we had to pay it back in a way.”
Going in, neither of them knew what an aortic dissection was — or what would happen next. It didn’t stay that way for long. “At every stage, I felt I was informed,” Norm recalled. “I felt at ease. I knew everything that I wanted to know.” “Everyone was so caring,” added Betty. “I was there every day and his nurses were just really caring to me too, knowing that I was sitting there watching him.” Thankfully, Norm’s broken heart was repaired and he was able to return home with Betty. “I am alive, healthy and enjoying retirement because of RCH,” he told us with a smile. “We thought it was important to share Norm’s story so people know what RCH is capable of,” said Betty. But the couple is sharing more than just their story. They’ve recently started making a monthly
“We benefitted from the previous donors, so we just want to be a part of the cycle,” reflected Norm. “Hopefully, people in front of us in the future will keep this going.” Both Norm and Betty are passionate about making sure everyone in our province has access to the best healthcare. And they’re using their monthly gifts to do it!
“The more resources RCH has, the more access there will be for more people,” said Norm. “Norm’s health issues made us stop and think of what’s really important,” added Betty. “We’re so thankful that he survived and is pretty much healthy!” 3
Turning gratitude into action
“When they told me this, I was so delighted,” Narendra says with tears in his eyes.
“They said my dad was the perfect match — it The Dular Family’s was a blessing” adds Riha. tradition of generosity The transplant happened just nine months
“My dad being such a generous donor inspires me to be a part of a community like this…”
“People don’t often like to say hospitals are like home,” says Riha. “But I get the feeling of home when I’m here.” She went into kidney failure at just 18 years old. Three weeks after her diagnosis, doctors told her parents to start looking for a donor. “I was ready to do it,” says her father, Narendra. By some miracle, his blood and his kidney would work for Riha. His kidney was even operating at 98%!
later.
“I really appreciate the work my dad put in, and the work my doctors and nurses put in,” adds Riha. “I’m just so grateful for it. Words can’t really express how grateful I am.” “The hospital staff, doctors and nurses did an amazing job,” says Narendra. “They’re just amazing people. The work that they’re doing for other people to save their lives… it’s incredible.” After Riha’s transplant, the family decided to put their gratitude into action. “I thought, ‘I have to do something from my side for the hospital,’” recalls Narendra. Not only did he decide to become a monthly donor, he also started a Bottle Drive — with all proceeds going directly to the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation. Her father’s generosity has inspired Riha, too: “With my dad being such a generous donor, it inspires me to be a part of a community like this. It’s such a good hospital to give back to. I feel like any donations that we give to RCHF go toward a needy cause.” The family chooses to designate their gifts to the departments that saved Riha’s life: the Renal Department and the Lab.
“I’m just so grateful for it. Words can’t really express how grateful I am.” adds Riha. 4
“I just feel like the lab has been there for me since the beginning,” says Riha. “Some of them I’ve been seeing every two weeks for three years. They’re just such great people. The reason I was diagnosed is because they took my blood.” Riha and her father are bonded by generosity: towards each other and towards the hospital that saved her life. A beautiful family tradition that will last for many years to come!
“The hospital has a good reputation for a reason. You’re in the best hands possible,” says Katie.
“It feels like contributing to your community when you donate to a hospital.”
Warm & compassionate care inspires parents to give back When Katie was diagnosed with Vasa Previa — a rare pregnancy complication — she was directed to Royal Columbian Hospital for a C-section. Her beautiful baby boy, Parker, was delivered at 35 weeks old, as planned. But he had trouble breathing earthside. Doctors quickly discovered a hole in one of his lungs … and then another hole in the other. Parker needed a lot more time in the NICU than either she or her husband, Deven, expected. “It was such a panic for us,” reflects Katie. “But the nurses in the NICU went above and beyond to make everything as easy as it could be.” The couple felt like the nurses really cared about their son’s well-being: “You can tell that they have individual
connections with each baby. That made us feel better about the hands we were leaving him in,” Katie shares. “Every day, you’d see the nurses advocating for each baby and each parent,” Deven adds. “If you listened to the rounds, it would be medical speak you might not understand. But the nurses would sit with you and explain it to you.” “Even though it was stressful, they’d make you feel better,” says Katie, nodding. Today, Parker is happy and thriving. And his parents were so touched by the care their family received, that they decided to give back. “I mean, there were nurses who would make pictures for Parker on their breaks and hang them up in his area in the NICU,” remembers Katie. “The hospital has a good reputation for a reason. You’re in the best hands possible.” “It’s the people that make the hospital,” adds Deven. “Hopefully our gift can help other people have the same sense of support and connection that we did.” 5
It used to take pathologists like Dr. Carolyn Shiau 3-4 weeks to provide a full breast cancer diagnosis. Now, thanks to generous people like you, it only takes 3-4 days!
How people like you are helping diagnose breast cancer 4x faster “I’m so grateful that this is something we can do, thanks to the support of our donors.” It used to take our pathology team 3-4 weeks to provide a full breast cancer diagnosis for almost half of our breast cancer patients.
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is to wait for those results; to watch them go through that uncertainty,” says Dr. Carolyn Shiau, a pathologist at Royal Columbian, and Regional Medical Director of Laboratory for Fraser Health. With a machine called the Ventana Benchmark Ultra, pathologists like Dr. Shiau are able to provide patients with diagnoses 4x faster. “Some of that is because we’re able to do all the testing right here, at Royal Columbian,” she says.
Now, thanks to our generous donors, we’ve shortened that to 3-4 days.
“But it’s also newer technology that is easier to interpret and manage. With it, we’re able to shorten the time patients spend waiting for answers so they can determine next steps.”
“Anybody who’s held the hand of somebody who has breast cancer… you know how hard it
The generosity of our donors played a huge role in our ability to procure this machine.
And we’re so grateful. Because now, more breast cancer patients in the Fraser Valley region can arrive to their first appointment and their breast specialist doctor with all the information they need to make critical decisions — like whether they should start with surgery or chemotherapy. “We’ll be able to provide the full diagnosis on the first go! The breast cancer test results for estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 will be incorporated into the same report,” Dr. Shiau says excitedly. “When we first heard that we were going to bring this technology in, everyone in the lab was so excited because we all understand how hard it is to wait for that information.” In fact, Dr. Shiau was surprised by how many people in the lab have either personally had breast cancer or who know someone who has. “I’m so grateful that this is something we can do at Royal Columbian Hospital, thanks to the support of our donors.” But there’s more. “The impact of the donations from the Drive for the Cure Foundation and Sanjeev Garg and Seema Garg means we’ll be able to unburden the other labs that are helping us do this testing for the province.” Because of their kind hearts, breast cancer patients across BC will receive their diagnoses faster, so they can start their recovery journeys sooner. What a gift that is! “We have all waited a long time for this test,” Dr. Shiau says. Thank you to everyone who helped make this dream possible!
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“It really touched my heart, so that informed my thinking.”
Cancer survivor honours caregivers with gift that lasts forever Jaikumar had been to hospitals before, but never as a patient. That is, until he was diagnosed with kidney cancer. Nine months later, doctors found a problem in his aorta and he had to have open heart surgery. “My time at Royal Columbian was eye opening,” he shared. Because of his IVs, he was bed-ridden and relied heavily on his nurses. “My stay was very comfortable and I was taken care of very well,” he said. “But I was surprised to learn they work 12 hour shifts!” He was so moved by the dedication of his doctors and nurses that he decided to host a lunch for all the staff in his ward — bringing in Indian food from his favourite local restaurant. But he also decided something else: to leave a gift to the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation and cancer research in his will. “The services I received really touched my heart, so that informed my thinking,” he said. But apart from his experience at Royal Columbian, he realized that “there will be money left that won’t be needed by my wife and son. So why not leave something behind for the organizations who are doing such a wonderful job?”
YOUR GENEROSITY SAVES LIVES All the stories of recovery in this newsletter were possible because of the generosity shown by caring friends like you. Your gifts allow us to purchase new and innovative technology that catch diseases earlier, shrinks wait times, and most importantly, saves lives. Every year — every month — medical tools and technology are evolving. It’s critical that we evolve with them… so we can be there for your friends, family and neighbours when their lives are on the line. Just like our past patient, Norm says, “It’s a loop in a way. When you support the foundation, they are able to support you.”
We’re so happy to report that Jaikumar has finished chemotherapy and is now in remission!
Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation 330 East Columbia Street New Westminster, BC V3L 3W7 Charitable Registration Number: 11912 8866 RR0001
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