Giving Tuesday: A gift toward early detection

The Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital (PECMH) Foundation is calling on the community to come together for one powerful day of generosity to help bring a new digital mammography machine to the new PECMH.

Giving Tuesday, a global celebration of kindness and philanthropy, is held each year following Black Friday and Cyber Monday. It is designed to be a day where people everywhere come together to strengthen their communities through donations, volunteering, and simple acts of care.

This year, the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundations Giving Tuesday focus ensuring patients have access to the most advanced breast screening equipment available.

Fundraising continues to purchase a new digital system that will deliver faster, sharper, and more reliable mammogram images, the very tools that make early breast cancer detection possible.

Breast cancer remains the most common cancer among Canadian women, with one in eight expected to be diagnosed in their lifetime. Each year, approximately 28,000 women and 270 men in Canada hear the words “you have breast cancer.”

Early detection can save lives and now, nearly 90 per cent of women diagnosed at an early stage survive at least five years after diagnosis.

Judy Plomer with a photograph of her mom, Rosemary Crockett

For Milford resident Judy Plomer, the cause is deeply personal. Each year when she visits the hospital for her mammogram, she’s reminded of her mother, Rosemary Crockett, who was just 47 when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1976 – a time when breast screening services weren’t yet available.

“From the day we lost my mom, I promised myself I would never take early detection for granted,” Judy shares. “I’ve had a mammogram every year since. It’s the most important test a woman can get.”

Despite enduring radical surgeries, chemotherapy, and radiation, Rosemary passed away at age 59, leaving behind her husband and four children. Judy’s story is a powerful reminder of how far medical technology has come.

On Giving Tuesday, Dec. 2, the PECMH Foundation invites the community to support the campaign to purchase a new digital mammography machine, estimated to cost one million dollars.

More than 1,550 mammograms were performed at PECMH last year. However, the hospital’s current equipment is more than 12 years old and has surpassed its recommended lifespan. The new machine will ensure patients continue to receive fast, accurate diagnoses and compassionate care close to home, including in the County’s new hospital currently under construction.

This year, the PECMH Foundation is dedicating Giving Tuesday to honour Rosemary Crockett and all those whose lives have been touched by breast cancer.

“I truly wish my mom had the opportunity for a mammogram,” Judy says. “It could have changed everything. My hope is that others will have that chance.”

On Tuesday, Dec. 2, visit www.pecmhf.ca, call 613.476.1008 ext. 4507, or come by the office at the PECM Hospital (403 Main Street, Picton) between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. to make a Giving Tuesday gift.