One Patient’s Story: Carrie

“I’m Carrie Birch. I’m 42 and I’ve been fighting cancer with the help of doctors at Royal Jubilee Hospital. I never imagined, given my age and good health, I’d have to count on my hospital to keep me alive. But strange as it is to say, I feel lucky this happened in Victoria, where we’re blessed to have incredible doctors with advanced equipment.

I was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago. I remember calling my friend and us crying then laughing then crying again. For eight hard months my loved ones supported me as I went through surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

Right before the ‘five year mark’ of being a cancer survivor, my doctor saw a small lump on my throat and ordered a test. It was thyroid cancer. I needed immediate treatment to target the disease. After I left the hospital, I remember thinking back to when I had breast cancer and wondering if cancerous cells were left behind during treatment.

But this time, I only waited one week for a state-of-the-art exam with a Gamma-CT Scanner: the only imaging equipment that detects, in one test instead of two, any cancer still left in my body and its precise location.

Just days later my doctor told me I was finally fee from cancer. Though I was grateful to hear those words, I’m certain that if the results were different, I’d be comforted by knowing my doctor could see exactly where to operate to remove any last traces of disease.

This spring, the Victoria Hospitals Foundation is asking you to help complete funding for the Gamma-CT Scanner. I’m relieved Royal Jubilee had this scanner in place as soon as possible so I might receive the diagnosis I needed.

Today, you can help people like me in your community have a safe and fast diagnosis. To give them one less day of fear and worry and one more day of strength and certainty. I can’t imagine what could be more important. Please give generously.”