A Kelowna family has made a generous donation to the future cancer therapy suite in Kelowna.
On Tuesday, the BC Cancer Foundation announced it had received a $1.5 million donation from the family behind Bannister Automotive Group.
The donation will go towards the creation of a new state-of-the-art systemic therapy suite in the BC Cancer centre in Kelowna.
The future space will not only meet the growing demand for cancer treatments in the Interior, but it will also provide the infrastructure to bring early phase clinical trials to the region.
“The work done by BC Cancer – Kelowna’s dedicated staff as they both provide care to current patients and conduct the innovative research needed to improve outcomes is nothing short of remarkable,” says Chad and Lyn Bannister on behalf of the family in a statement.
“With three generations of our family living in the Okanagan, we know the importance of having world-class cancer care close to home and are proud to help ensure this continues to be available for our communities for the generations to come.”
This isn’t the first donation made by the family.
Three years ago, they made a $100,000 donation to help the BC Cancer’s brachytherapy chair role, which is held by Dr. Juanita Crook.
This is also the second donation to the future therapy suite this month.
At the beginning of October, 16 local car dealerships announced a $230,000 donation to support the suite.
“This is an incredibly exciting time for cancer research and we’re proud to be among the busiest clinical trials site in the province,” says Dr. Ross Halperin, BC Cancer – Kelowna’s Executive Medical Director.
“This donation will help us expand even further and be at the forefront of the most important areas of research, like immunotherapy.”
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