I am thrilled, along with my family, to continue my son Tyler’s legacy and to advocate for    the transformation of our hospital’s entire Diagnostic Imaging Department    to improve patient accessibility and care.

When I was    asked to be the Campaign Ambassador, I immediately said, “YES!” I know    firsthand how critical this transformative campaign is for St. Thomas    and Elgin County. Like you, I believe in the importance of more care,    closer to home.

This issue    hits close to home for me and I know that would have made a big difference for Tyler and our entire family when he was ill.    

Tyler was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2014, and after the shock of that diagnosis wore off, we rallied around him in every way you can imagine. As part of his treatment in his nearly 5-year battle with cancer, Tyler required over 40 MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scans.

The nearest MRI is in London, forcing us to make frequent out of town trips. Constant travel was an immense burden, especially with Tyler already so ill.‍

Having access to an MRI locally would have made a huge impact on his quality of care and on us, his family.

Learning that there are 5,000 people every year traveling to other cities for MRI scans was a real shock. I believe our story matters, but so do the 4,999 other stories each year.

I am thrilled to share that the highly anticipated first ever MRI to St. Thomas & Elgin County is officially open for patients! I know this will transform the lives of so many people, especially now that they won’t have to travel so far for MRI scans.

I am also very pleased to share that as of today, we are now at 94% of our $8 million campaign goal, and have exhausted 75% of the FDC Foundation’s $1  million matching opportunity! This makes me even more excited as we can all now see the finish line. Remember, we have until December 31^st to fully exhaust the match!

I am so proud of our community and everyone that has helped us get where we are today. This truly is an important cause for us all, as I believe every family will be impacted by the advancements at STEGH’s Diagnostic Imaging Department. 

This is why I am reaching out to you today. We have accomplished so much, but we still have 6% of our goal left to reach our $8 million goal. Help    us bring it home.

Let’s reach    this $8 million goal and together create a transformed Diagnostic Imaging Department for all of us.

You can learn    more about Transforming Tomorrow and YOUR impact in our HeartBeat newsletter below.

Please consider making a donation today! Every dollar you give will be matched dollar for dollar, doubling your impact, and bring us even closer to our goal.

Vera Warren, 

Campaign Ambassador

Transforming Tomorrow - Diagnostic Imaging Campaign

‍