A cancer survivor is calling for donations for a new mammography unit for St. Francis Memorial Hospital.
Sharon Florent has battled a series of health issues since being diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma nearly 20 years ago.
At times, she’s received mammography scans at the Barry’s Bay hospital, so doctors could see the scope of her condition. But other times, she’s been asked to travel to Renfrew, where better technology exists.
If $400,000 can be raised through St. Francis Valley Healthcare Foundation, St. Francis Memorial will purchase a modern mammography unit, comparable to ones in big city hospitals, that generate three-dimensional images needed for early detection.
“I’m lucky, I have a vehicle and I can drive myself; not everybody can,” Florent says. “(Some) have to arrange a ride or don’t have the ability to get there for one reason or another. So it’s nice to have it here, closer to home.”
Florent is working with the Foundation, as it prepares for its Tree of Lights ceremony on Friday, Dec. 1. A tree will be lit at 6:30 p.m. at The Railway Stations. Lights will represent donations, made in local people’s names, for the mammography unit.
