Every year, a devoted band of volunteers welcomes dozens of paddling teams and hundreds of paddlers from across the west coast and United States to participate in the annual Save-On-Foods Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival.
However, competition and tourism are only added benefits. The focus of the event is clear and constant: the fight against breast cancer.
This year, the Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival Society, together with title sponsor Save-On-Foods, delivered $22,000 to the Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation to be directed towards the purchase of a breast MRI for the medical imaging department at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital.
The breast MRI is most often used after a biopsy tests positive for cancer and the doctor requires additional information to plan treatment.
In total, the breast MRI will cost $100,000, but offer a superior image of the breast. This will enhance both treatment and recovery of breast cancer patients on Vancouver Island.