Rick Stiebel/News Staff
Peninsula Co-op is doubling the mileage BC Cancer Foundation will receive for donations.
From now until July 31, Peninsula Co-op will match any donation of up to $75,000 made to the BC Cancer Foundation for new, cutting-edge treatment options that provide Vancouver Island cancer patients with the best outcomes through innovative therapies.
That’s great news for patients like Linda West, whose life has been saved through treatments made available by clinical trials at BC Cancer-Victoria.
Linda went through six months of chemotherapy followed by 35 rounds of radiation treatment after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003.
“I was so lucky to get Dr. Vanessa Bernstein as my oncologist,” said West in a media release. “She thoroughly explained my best treatment options.”
Her return to normal life was short-circuited, however, when in 2016 West was rushed to the emergency ward after experiencing shortness of breath. The cancer had returned at Stage IV, spreading to her lungs, bones, liver, and brain.
READ ALSO: Hefty Peninsula Co-op donation brightens Mount Newton Centre Society’s 40th anniversary
After trying several different chemotherapies, Bernstein recommended two innovative therapies that have kept West’s cancer at bay for the past three years.
“Today I am doing fantastic,” Linda said. “I go for long walks, I’m golfing, entertaining. I’m making the most of my life and appreciate every day I have.”
West is a great example of how innovative therapies change outcomes and saving lives. “Donations make such a difference to people living with cancer, they give hope,” she noted. “With Peninsula Co-op matching donations, it’s a great time to give.”
More than 27,000 people in B.C. will learn that they have cancer this year. Make a donation at bccancerfoundation.com/match.
Peninsula Co-op is a Vancouver Island-based co-operative that has served the Victoria, Duncan, Comox and Campbell River areas for more than 60 years by supplying petroleum, groceries, cardlock and home heating products. The company has 18 gas stations in operation and more than 350 full and part-time employees. Penisnusla Co-op donated more than $500,000 to 300 local initiatives in 2018.
The BC Cancer Foundation is the fundraising partner for BC Cancer. Every dollar raised remains in B.C. to advance research and enhance care.