November 9, 2022 at 1:38 pm
A prominent wealth management group is putting in $25,000 to inspire others to donate to the Pancreatic Cancer Centre at the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC).
CIBC Private Wealth has announced that it will match any donations to the Baker Pancreatic Cancer Center up to a total of $25,000 through the end of the month. The fundraiser coincides with Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month, which raises awareness of the disease each November.
Jennifer Wagner, deputy branch manager at CIBC Private Wealth, said: “Our goal is to help patients who have been hit hard by their diagnosis, now and in the future, have more time so they can be with their loved ones.”
Pancreatic cancer grows rapidly and has one of the lowest survival rates of cancer. Diagnosis and treatment of the disease are considered complex. Often, this form of cancer is not detected until late, making treatment more difficult. Its five-year survival rate is only 10%.
Baker Pancreatic Cancer Center opened in July 2019. This is a multidisciplinary clinic using new diagnostic technologies to improve access to care, provide patients with more targeted and personalized treatment, and research and develop new treatment options. It offers genetic testing to all newly diagnosed patients, a measure that highlights specific abnormalities in the tumor’s DNA, which doctors can then target with specialized treatments.
“The team at CIBC Private Wealth is committed to making a difference in the lives of people with pancreatic cancer living in our community,” said John MacFarlane, President and CEO of London Health Sciences Foundation, the fundraising arm of the LHSC. “I therefore encourage everyone to join CIBC’s mission and donate throughout November to make a double impact on patients living with this deadly disease. Every dollar counts.”