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QEII Times A QEII Foundation publication in association with the Chronicle Herald, QEII Times is designed to shine a light on the QEII Health Sciences Centre community. Editor & Project Manager Lindsey Bunin Communications, QEII Foundation Jenn Coleman-Ford Account Executive Tracy Skinner Contributors Allison Lawlor Bill Bean Colleen Cosgrove Cynthia McMurray David Pretty Jenna Conter Jon Tattrie Nicole Topple Photographer QEII Foundation
© The Chronicle Herald 2019 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval systems or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent from the publisher. The Chronicle Herald 2717 Joseph Howe Drive PO Box 610, Halifax, N.S., B3J 2T2 902-426-2811 thechronicleherald.ca We want your feedback! Share your thoughts, comments and story ideas with us at: info@QE2Foundation.ca 902 334 1546 or toll-free at 1 888 428 0220. QEII Foundation 5657 Spring Garden Road, Park Lane Mall, Floor M3, Halifax, N.S., B3J 3R4
A word from the QEII Foundation By Bill Bean President & CEO, QEII Foundation The QEII Foundation cares deeply about advancing health care. But we can’t do it alone. We all have a role to play in health care and we are grateful for donors — both individuals and organizations — who directly support change and provide solutions to some of health care’s biggest challenges. Take wait times as an example. By working closely with our partners at the QEII Health Sciences Centre, the QEII Foundation has been able to affect major impact in several key areas for timely diagnoses or life-changing treatment. As a result of QEII Foundation funding, the QEII’s new Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) opened, giving more Atlantic Canadians a chance at a new life, seizure free. The EMU is a specialized inpatient unit designed to evaluate, diagnose and treat seizures — identifying the source
of the seizures and determining if a patient can have surgery. Our $2.5-million Neuroscience Alliance campaign provided the EMU with two new inpatient beds. The QEII’s epilepsy team is now able to diagnose and treat more patients each year — an increase to 75 patients per year from 40-45 patients per year. The QEII’s new Joseph Shannon Family Cardiac Catheterization Suite sees about 5,800 patients per year. The original suite — one of four catheterization suites at the QEII — closed in 2016 when its aging equipment became unserviceable. The QEII Foundation’s $4.5-million From the Heart campaign re-opened this suite, making sure wait times did not increase and ensured the QEII’s heart health teams can deliver the best care during procedures like angiograms, angioplasties and pacemaker implantations, for patients from across the Maritimes. Thanks to donors to the original Cancer Never Waits
“As a result of QEII Foundation funding, the QEII’s new Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) opened, giving more Atlantic Canadians a chance at a new life, seizure free.”
campaign, which raised more than $4 million, the QEII Foundation celebrated the opening of The James and Edna Claydon Radiation Treatment Clinic. Aimed at reducing wait times and improving treatment options, the more than $20-million expansion
to the cancer centre — jointly funded by government and the QEII Foundation — transformed the care journey for patients receiving radiation therapy at the QEII. This transformation included establishing one of North America’s best and most innovative radiation treatment clinics and funding three new linear accelerators, reducing treatment times for patients and radiation wait times, overall. These linear accelerators provide unparalleled image guidance to target a patient’s tumour with the utmost precision and accuracy, avoiding harm to the surrounding healthy tissues. Philanthropy has a direct correlation to reducing wait times, improving accessibility and impacting care for Atlantic Canadians. When you give, patients are getting the care they need and deserve. For more information about the QEII Foundation, call 902 334 1546 or drop us a line at info@qe2foundation.ca.
Shining a spotlight on thyroid cancer Blue Butterfly Evening raises funds for vital research and thyroid cancer care By Cynthia McMurray According to the Canadian Cancer Society, cases of thyroid cancer are on the rise. In fact, the incidences of this cancer have been steadily growing, says Dr. Mal Rajaraman, radiation
oncologist at the QEII’s Interdisciplinary Thyroid Oncology Clinic (ITOC). “There are about 900 cases a year of lung cancer in Nova Scotia compared to about 125 cases of thyroid cancer. It’s a smaller number but the rate of increase is rising more rapidly than any other cancer and it happens in relatively younger people,” he says. “Most cases are in people between 20 and 55, but it is the number one cancer in those 15 to 29.” The thyroid is a small butterfly-shaped gland in your neck, measuring about four to six centimetres in diameter. While it may be small, the thyroid has a huge impact on your entire body.
It produces thyroid hormone, which regulates metabolism, heartbeat, temperature, mood and a slew of other vital processes. So, when something goes awry, it can wreak havoc on your body. Carol Dodds, a teacher and chair of the annual Blue Butterfly Evening fundraiser, knows this all too well. Carol was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2007, which is how she met Dr. Rajaraman. Like many thyroid cancer patients, Carol is a survivor and 11 years ago she became determined to raise awareness. Carol, along with a small committee of volunteers and in collaboration with the QEII
Foundation, has been hosting the Blue Butterfly Evening since 2009. This year’s event raised more than $31,000 net and counting, to support the development of the largest thyroid cancer database in the Maritimes, established 15 years ago. “We are not just leaders in Atlantic Canada, we are leaders in Canada,” says Dr. Rajaraman, who is also the co-chair for the Canadian Network for Cancer of the Thyroid (CANNECT) — a collaborative network of researchers and clinicians
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