The Grand River Hospital Cancer Centre is marking a milestone anniversary this weekend with public tours and presentations.
It’s been 10 years since the centre first opened its doors, bringing treatment, screening, diagnosis and prevention services to Waterloo region.
“When you have a cancer diagnosis, your mind is numb. There is so much to think about and so much to feel,” says Fran Pappert-Shannon. "To have a burden of having to travel a great distance at the same time is really onerous."
The former Romper Room host was diagnosed with breast cancer seven years ago,
She says that difficult period of her life was made easier because she could receive car close to home.
“I came here for all of my treatment,” Pappert-Shannon says. “I had my surgeries here, my chemotherapy, my radiation.”
According to Judy Burns with Grand River Hospital, the Cancer Centre has evolved over the past decade.
“When [it] opened 10 years ago, we provided a lot of very basic services, but we've really grown,” she says. "So we're now providing much more comprehensive diagnostic assessment services, for example."
To mark the milestone, the centre opened its doors to the public on Saturday.
Employees offered presentations, tours and a chance to hear survivors’ stories.
“We're proud of what we do here and we want to show it off to our community,” says Burns.
CTV medical specialist Dr. Marla Shapiro, who herself battled breast cancer, says these types of events help people better understand a difficult disease.
“There is no question that the more we talk about cancer, the more we look at cancer, the more we talk about early detection, prevention and comprehensive care treatment, that it demystifies a lot of what cancer is,” she says.
And that’s important, notes Burns, because as the population ages, cancer diagnoses will increase.
The good news: Grand River’s centre has a sparkling reputation.
“[It’s] ranked the best in the province,” says Shapiro. “And that's no small feat.”
CTV's Krista Simpson will have more on CTV News at Six.
