Holiday Giving

A message from Laura Gordon

As the holiday season approaches, I find myself reflecting on the things I’m most grateful for. It’s not every day you get to thank someone who played a part in saving your life, but that’s exactly why I’m writing to you today.

Because of your support of Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH), I’m still here. My husband still has the love of his life. My daughter still has her mother. And I get to spend another holiday season with my family.

This is the ideal time to give because, thanks to Jeff and Barb White’s generosity, your gift will be MATCHED up to $50,000 if received by December 31. If you can, you might even consider becoming a monthly donor to provide ongoing hope and health to our community all year long.

Learn More About Laura’s Journey

But let me take you back to how I first ended up at RVH. After my sister was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 39, I started getting regular mammograms at my local community hospital. But like a lot of women, I have dense breasts, which can make it harder to detect any abnormalities.

Because of this, my mammograms kept coming back clear, even though I could physically feel a lump in my breast. A lump that was growing. I knew something was wrong.

Thankfully, I also knew that RVH has a world-class cancer centre with the most advanced equipment, including 3D mammography thanks to the incredible support of donors like you. I asked my nurse practitioner to refer me to RVH’s cancer program for specialized scans. Those scans revealed I had locally advanced breast cancer.

Living in Muskoka has been a lifelong dream of mine – a dream that came true more than ten years ago. My husband and I are so fortunate to be raising our daughter in Gravenhurst.

I love everything about this region, don’t you? With all our trails and parks and lakes, there are countless opportunities to get out in nature. My husband and I love boating, fishing and campfires. I’m a very active person, so most days of the week you’ll find me out walking, biking, hiking or swimming.

My active, wild life came to a screeching halt the moment I was diagnosed with cancer. But, thanks to the specialized care you make possible, it wasn’t on hold forever.

From day one, I felt so supported. When I came to RVH for my initial scan, pandemic restrictions meant my husband couldn’t come in with me. I said goodbye to him at the door … then promptly started crying.

I was so afraid of what I knew in my gut the test would show. My daughter Lily had just celebrated her seventh birthday; she needed her mom to survive. A volunteer handed me a piece of paper with directions on it, but I was crying too hard to read it. The compassion I was shown in the next moments set the tone for the rest of my cancer journey.

Within 48 hours of my initial scan, I had a biopsy and ultrasound. A few days later I had appointments to meet everyone: my oncologist, surgeon, plastic surgeon and radiation physician.

Everyone was amazing. No question was left unanswered, and they took the time to make sure I understood everything that was about to happen. They were confident in what they were about to do, which gave me confidence as well.

I was still worried, of course, but with the support of this world-class team of doctors, I was ready to start this life-changing experience.

Through your support of RVH, you didn’t just take care of me; you took care of our whole family, including my daughter Lily. The team connected us with other families and children going through a cancer experience. This validated Lily’s difficult emotions and helped her realize she wasn’t the only one feeling scared and uncertain.

They also gave her a little book showing what the cancer centre looks like and explaining all the different areas. Lily couldn’t come with me to appointments, but she understood where I was going and what was happening.

Here’s another example of how your support enables RVH to care for the whole person. I was very concerned about how my diagnosis and treatment would impact my mental health. I was afraid that if I went to a dark place emotionally and mentally, it would impact my ability to heal and recover.

I shared these concerns with my oncologist, who was so understanding and supportive. She referred me to the social work and psychiatry team at RVH so I could keep my mental health on track too.

Following my diagnosis, RVH became like a second home. After about a month of tests and imaging, I went through four months of chemotherapy. This was followed by a mastectomy where surgeons removed 13 lymph nodes and completed immediate reconstruction. Finally, when I was recovered enough, my treatment concluded with five weeks of daily radiation.

During my chemo treatments, I was still able to make it home in time to pick up my daughter from school. Instead of spending hours on the highway to and from Toronto, I was able to take her to dance classes and tuck her in every night.

Even now, I’m able to pop in for follow-up appointments and then get right back to work. I don’t have to spend my vacation days on trips to the city; I can spend them on actual vacations with my family.

As our region continues to grow (it’s predicted to double in the next 20 years!), we need—and deserve this kind of world-class close-to-home healthcare more than ever. That’s why I’m so excited about the Keep Life Wild campaign. With your support, we’ll expand the health centre in Barrie and build a new hospital in Innisfil, so even more of our friends, families, and neighbours can access the same exceptional care that saved my life.

During the holiday season, while you’re celebrating and spending time with your loved ones, I hope you’ll consider helping RVH. Having care close to home means families like mine can stay together during tough times.

Your support gives us the comfort of knowing amazing healthcare is nearby. By giving today, you ensure that families like mine can enjoy the holidays with the peace of mind that comes from having loved ones close when we need them most.