The fight against cancer has been raging for more than 2000 years, since before the time of Hippocrates, and humanity has seen quite a few advancements in medicine beyond the purgatives recommended by Galen in the second century.
Besides preventative medications, dietary choices and a handful of vaccinations however, our only real solutions have been radiation and chemotherapy.
Surgery can be effective and is, but in some instances the disease is in an inoperable location.
Anyone who has cancer, or has ever known somebody so afflicted, could tell you how painful radiation and chemotherapy can be.
As our understanding of molecular and cellular biology grows, so too does our ability to fight the more than 100 kinds of cancer that afflict humanity.
In the Sept. 29, 2015 edition of the Barrhead Leader, our editorial staff published an informative article about the Barrhead Community Cancer Centre’s $1.5 million renovations that were projected to be complete by the spring of 2016.
At the time, Barrhead Healthcare Centre site manager Lois Burletoff said discussions about the prospect had been happening since January 2014.
On June 15, the Barrhead Community Cancer Centre’s chemotherapy wing officially re-opened to the public.
It is four times the size of the previous facility, the newly renovated centre includes four heated, reclining massage chairs that were acquired through the generosity of Alberta Cancer Foundation donors, easier access to the courtyard, and a number of smaller touches for patients receiving care.
And it is the little things that help us get through our struggles.
The Barrhead Leader acknowledges the hard work and effort that went into these renovations, from the administration down to the staff, and in the same fashion as both Barrhead’s mayor and the county’s reeve, we would like to express our gratitude that such a project has come to fruition.
