The Royal Jubilee Hospital’s new Gamma-CT scanner helped Carrie Birch face the fear of a third battle with cancer.
“Even if I was given bad news, my doctor would have all the information to specifically treat any remaining disease in my body,” Birch said.
Installed in August 2012, the scanner cost $1.4 million. The Victoria Hospitals Foundation, which is still paying for the machine, announced a fundraising drive Tuesday to come up with the last $375,000 needed to cover the cost.
Birch was diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago and underwent eight months of chemotherapy and radiation.
Just before she could celebrate the five-year anniversary of being cancer-free, she was told by her doctor she had thyroid cancer.
After a successful surgery, she had a Gamma-CT scan in April and it confirmed she was cancer-free.
“It’s not like the other machines, where you feel locked in. This helps you feel more comfortable,” Birch said.
The scanner is the first of its kind on the Island, said Alan Lowe, vice-chairman of the board of directors for the Victoria Hospitals Foundation.
The scanner will be used primarily to help treat patients on the Island as well as to help patients throughout B.C., Lowe said.
While patients are given peace of mind in understanding their diagnosis, doctors hope the scanner will help ease hospital waiting times and improve efficiency in identifying patient problems.
“In one scan, we can image both where the disease is, what destruction it [has] caused and where the cancer has originated from,” said Kevin Forkheim, a radiologist with the Vancouver Island Health Authority.
The scanner can help provide images for varying ailments, from dementia and back pain to cancer, and allow patients to receive quicker treatment.
For example, patients used to have a bone scan and, if required, a follow-up CT scan to find the root of the disease or ailment, Forkheim said. Now, the Gamma-CT can provide the same information with just one test.
The scanner also offers a more personalized service, helping doctors identify differences among patients relevant to each person’s treatment.
“I can take the data from the X-ray and cater it to you specifically,” said James Thornton, the head of nuclear medicine at the hospital.
Speaking at the launch of the fundraising campaign, Birch asked the community for donations to help complete the purchase.
“You can give us one less day of fear and worry, and one more day of strength and certainty.”
