BC Cancer Foundation - Fall 2015 - (Page 10)

Transformational Gifts Saving Lives O ver the past decade, Gordon and Leslie Diamond have brought hope to thousands of cancer patients across the province by supporting innovative research, providing start-up funds for pilot projects, creating an infrastructure of support for cancer survivors and funding vital equipment. The Diamonds made a significant contribution to the BC Cancer Foundation's Millennium Campaign, donating the land on which the BC Cancer Agency's state-of-the-art Cancer Research Centre (CRC) was built. "The past decade has seen remarkable productivity and exciting findings from research at the BC Cancer Agency. This has been enabled in no small part by the generosity of the Today and Tomorrow Diamond family," says Dr. Samuel Abraham, Vice President of Research at the BC Cancer Agency. "Having a research facility in close proximity to the clinic has enabled scientists and clinicians to pursue an understanding of and potential treatments for these diseases in ways that would have been difficult, if not impossible, in the past." Since it opened in 2005, the CRC has become a world-class cancer research facility where ground-breaking advances are leading to improved cancer care for British Columbians. Within its walls, the Gordon and Leslie Diamond Family Theatre provides a vital forum for researchers, clinicians and renowned healthcare professionals to present and share the most innovative ideas in cancer research. According to Dr. Abraham, "The land, building and the infrastructure has had a powerful effect on our quest to better treat, if not cure or control, these diseases. I thank the Diamond family for their generosity and continued support of our efforts toward a brighter future in cancer control." Enabling a Fundamental Shift in Lymphoid Cancer Treatment D ave Ritchie and Gloria Beauchamp have made a number of influential gifts to the BC Cancer Foundation over the past decade. Starting with a significant gift to support lymphoma research, their investments, along with gifts from thousands of donors across B.C., have contributed to life-saving advancements in the understanding of the disease. According to Dr. Joseph Connors, Medical Oncologist and Co-Director of the BC Cancer Agency's Centre for Lymphoid Cancer, "We have seen a fundamental shift in lymphoid cancer treatment and research over the past decade. We have moved from 10 PARTNERS IN DISCOVERY trial-and-error-based testing of broadly toxic, non-targeted chemotherapy to an era of targeted agents aimed at core malignant characteristics unique to lymphoid cancer cells, including characteristics discovered for the first time right here at our centre." These advancements have meant an era of more refined and effective treatments for lymphoid cancer patients across B.C. Recently, Ritchie and Beauchamp made a significant gift that will shape the next decade of research. A new state-of-the-art radiotherapy treatment technology, VERO, will lay the foundation for a clinical research program that will expand treatment Dave Ritchie options for rare or hard-to-treat cancers, such as those of the brain, kidney, liver, lung and pancreas. The Ritchie family is no stranger to cancer, as Dave, Gloria and their daughter, Tammy, have all been through treatment: "We are all affected by cancer," says Dave. "We are all lucky. We are survivors."

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of BC Cancer Foundation - Fall 2015

BC Cancer Foundation - Fall 2015
Contents
Opening Thoughts
Healthy Insights
Why I Give
Researcher Profile
On the Way to Personalized Cures
Donors Are Saving Lives Today and Tomorrow
The Next Decade of Discovery
Legacy Giving
Regional Roundup

BC Cancer Foundation - Fall 2015