The Saint John Regional Hospital. (Image: Brad Perry)
A gift of $2 million given Tuesday to the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation will help the charitable organization to further a holistic cancer survivorship program offered by the hospital and Horizon Health Network.
$1 million each given by both Irving Oil and the Arthur L. Irving Family Foundation will go toward helping enhance its current Stay Strong Program for cancer survivors.
In an announcement of the donation, Saint John Regional Hospital Chief of Staff and Oncologist Dr. Margot Burnell said more people today are surviving cancer and living much longer thanks to advances in detection, diagnosis, and treatment.
“Cancer survivorship is more than surviving cancer. We created the collaborative survivorship program because we know that for survivors, the cancer journey extends beyond the treatment process,” said Dr. Burnell.
The free 12-week program includes individualized exercise regimes aimed at improving many physical aspects for patients such as cardiovascular fitness, strength, endurance, and flexibility.
Regularly scheduled workshops are also held to meet the mental and emotional needs of patients, addressing an often a less talked about side of a patient’s recovery post-treatment. Both treatment approaches work to support a transition back to “regular” life for patients following cancer.
While both gifts announced Tuesday will help the program assist more cancer survivors beyond their cancer treatment, the success of the Stay Strong program has also helped it evolve into a support community of cancer patients.
Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation President and CEO Jamie Gallagher says the foundation will focus on growing the endowment through donor generosity, giving more patients access to the program at no cost, while continuing to broaden its services.
