$2.1 million campaign bringing diagnostic mammography to Langley
When Anna found a lump in her breast in August 2017, the Langley resident braced for a lengthy road of diagnosis and treatment.
Yet within minutes of her diagnostic mammogram, technicians pulled her right into a diagnostic ultrasound. “The lump looked very suspicious, so they wanted to see it right away,” recalls Anna, who just weeks earlier had lost a close friend to aggressive breast cancer.
Years into remission, Anna feels fortunate to have received a rapid diagnosis - even though she had to travel to Abbotsford for it.
One in eight women in B.C. - mothers, daughters, sisters and friends - will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime, and one in 28 will die from the disease. Early detection saves lives, but only when women can access reliable screening and timely follow-up close to home.
More than 9,000 women receive routine mammograms at Langley Memorial Hospital each year, yet when a result is abnormal, they must travel to another clinic on another day for diagnostic imaging. This extra step often leads to delays and added hardship for women balancing transportation challenges, mobility issues, work or caregiving responsibilities.
In addition, the hospital’s current mammography machine is working beyond its expected lifespan, and breakdowns lead to additional delays.
Langley residents have an opportunity to help change that.
Bringing care home to Langley
Langley Community Health & Hospital Foundation has launched a $2.1 million Breast Health Campaign to bring both screening and diagnostic mammography to Langley Memorial for the first time.
Donor support will help purchase a state-of-the-art system that includes tomosynthesis - or 3D mammography - which delivers clearer images using lower radiation doses and helps detect cancers earlier, particularly in dense breast tissue. The campaign will also add three operating room tables for mastectomy and reconstruction surgery, pharmacy equipment for medication support, and a CT contrast injector to help doctors better see tumours.
As cornerstone donors, Twins Cancer Fundraising and a $700,000 anonymous matching donor have charged the Breast Health Campaign with momentum early on. Founded by Chris and Jamie Ruscheinski, local brothers who as teens lost their mother to cancer, the non-profit has raised more than $6 million for cancer care and research over the last 20 years.
Just in time for Mother’s Day, tickets are now on sale for the Twins Cancer Fundraising’s July 11 Gone Country Jamestown event, an immersive, western-themed fundraiser where multiple stages and lively saloons will come alive with an array of local performers. Last year’s inaugural event raised $625,000 for cancer research and care in Langley.
“This all started with our mom and her battle with breast cancer 25 years ago,” says Jamie Ruscheinski. “Since then, my brother and I, alongside an incredible group of volunteers, have been committed to giving back to the community we call home. We’ve seen just how much people here step up for one another, and that’s what keeps us going. Supporting a new mammography clinic at Langley Memorial Hospital is a natural fit for us, and a way to support families facing the same kind of fight our mom did 25 years ago.”
Help transform breast cancer care in Langley
This Mother’s Day, help ensure Langley women - moms, sisters and daughters - can find breast health care quickly, compassionately and close to home.
To donate to the Langley Breast Health Campaign, visit LCHHFoundation.com/mammo
To attend Jamestown, purchase tickets at twinscancerfundraising.com/jamestown/tickets