Tania’s Story
When you’re anxious for answers, any wait feels like an eternity.
I was 43 years old when I found a lump in my left breast. My doctor sent me for an ultrasound rather than a mammogram. Because I have dense breast tissue (known as fibroglandular tissue), an ultrasound would provide a clearer picture. The ultrasound showed a concerning mass, so a day later, my doctor ordered an ultrasound-guided biopsy, which is less invasive than a regular biopsy.
It was confirmed: The lump was cancer
This news was a gut punch. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do at that moment. For both me and my son, it was the moment that changed our whole world.
The months that followed were a blur of chemotherapy, surgeries, and radiation treatments. I had a mastectomy of my left breast and lymph nodes removed. Six months later, I had the right breast removed and reconstruction. Each new course of treatment or surgery was monitored with ultrasounds, X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans.
Because one image doesn’t tell the full story when it comes to cancer.
Ultrasounds look at the size, location and structure of a mass in soft tissue. X-rays look for cancer in bones and organs. MRIs and CT scans can reveal whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. CT scans can also be used to assess the effects of treatment.
I’m so grateful that I have been able to get the imaging I need at VJH, so I can get the best care, close to home. This means I can spend more time where it matters most — with my son. But because our region keeps growing, Vernon Jubilee’s Imaging department, which is already one of the busiest in the B.C. Interior, must expand to keep up.
The need for ultrasound exams at VJH has skyrocketed in the past three years and wait times for that imaging have doubled. Within the next 10 years, demand for ultrasound at VJH is projected to increase by 111%. To keep up, something has to change.
Waiting feels unbearable when your health is at stake
Beyond needing additional ultrasound machines, space is a big issue — there just isn’t enough of it in the Ultrasound department to meet current needs, let alone future ones. That’s why VJH needs to grow.
Your generosity can help VJH keep up with our region’s growing need. With your support we can build larger, more accessible diagnostic rooms, create a bigger Ultrasound department and purchase two new ultrasound machines. When it’s done, VJH will have a completely new, modern, and well-equipped Ultrasound department. This expansion means up to 5,000 more imaging tests can be completed every year. That means more people can have faster access to answers to the causes of their pain, swelling or infection, masses, or abnormal blood tests.
Two years ago, you helped raise funds for an additional, top-of-the-line CT scanner and expansion to double the capacity at our hospital. Last year, your support brought another state-of-the-art X-ray machine to VJH.
This year, I know we can all come together again to expand the Ultrasound department, so we can increase access to services for patients throughout the North Okanagan region.
