The Save-on-Foods Nanaimo Dragon Boat Festival is a highlight for many dragon boat teams and every July paddlers arrive from across the Pacific West Coast to compete for a good cause and share a great celebration.
Festival organizers recently marked their 2013 success by contributing a total of $32,000 to causes supporting breast cancer patients on central Vancouver Island – $22,000 was given to the Nanaimo and District Hospital Foundation and $10,000 to Nanaimo Hospice.
The money directed to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital through the foundation will help purchase the new breast MRI, an attachment for the hospital’s new MRI machine that consists of a vacuum biopsy device and computer-aided evaluation system.
Together, these components will cost $100,000 and provide an even more enhanced image of the breast than is currently possible. This will increase detection and therefore speed up both treatment and recovery.
“The whole essence of the society and the Save-On-Foods Dragon Boat Festival is to raise money and awareness for early detection of breast cancer on mid-Vancouver Island,” said Bob Buchanan, dragon boat festival society.
Maeve O’Byrne, of the hospital foundation agreed.
“The Save-On-Foods Dragon Boat Festival has made an incredible difference to the lives of women and their families right here in our community,” O’Byrne said.