Oncology & Renal
Dear Starlite Donor,
First, I would like to say thank you for your continued support. Over the past 7 ½ years as Executive Director for the East Kootenay Foundation for Health I have been humbled by the generosity our organization receives. We have made a real impact on Health Care in the East Kootenay. Thanks to the overwhelming support of donors and supporters including yourself, we have made major improvements and are changing the way health care is delivered close to home.
2024 Starlite is no exception! Today I am excited to tell you that we are starting to raise funds for major improvements to Oncology and Renal care in the East Kootenay. This is the start of a big campaign that will be life changing for our patients, health care teams, and communities.
Cancer and Kidney Disease have touched the lives of every single person. We have all either had to personally deal with these awful diseases or have had a family member or friend that has had to fight for their life. Our current care facilities are no longer suitable to serve the amount of people receiving treatment. There are often waitlists to get treatment and people are having to travel outside of our region, long distances over several mountain passes, to receive care. The amount of time spent away from loved ones and the costs involved are enormous. It is a hard enough journey when healthy and excruciating when you are sick!
Over the past few days, I have spent time with the amazing Patients, Doctors, Nurses and Support Staff in both the oncology and renal departments. We are so very lucky to have incredible teams here at the East Kootenay Regional Hospital. You can see how much they care for their patients and how they are such a huge part of this difficult health care journey. My heart was breaking listening to stories of how difficult cancer and kidney disease is both for the patient and for their entire family and loved ones. They truly put their entire hearts into the work they do.
That work is never ending. Dr. Keith Lowden, our General Practitioner in Oncology for East Kootenay Oncology who has been part of the team here since 2002, said to me, “Cancer isn’t going away anytime soon. Cancer is a number of diseases and there won’t just be one cure.” This is the same for the renal department. They are seeing their numbers increase year after year for those needing dialysis.
Our current spaces for care were outgrown years ago. One of the most important things staff, patients, and families need during this difficult journey is privacy. We don’t have this right now. Oncology is an open space with only nine chairs and renal is an open space with only four chairs. It is our hope that through our major oncology and renal campaign we will be able to expand the current spaces and add additional equipment and services.
Just because we live in the East Kootenay doesn’t mean we deserve any less then anywhere else in the Province of BC. Please think of the East Kootenay Foundation for Health this Starlite Season and support our work to bring major oncology and renal upgrades to the East Kootenay. All of the funds raised will stay within the East Kootenay Region, supporting these very important services.
Together we are saving lives!
Sincerely,
Brenna Hong
Executive Director, East Kootenay Foundation for Health
In Memory
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