In the early 1980s, Marguerite Lougheed was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, and had to travel to Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto for treatment.
One day, she came back from her treatments asking a question that her son, Gerry Lougheed Jr., said he believes was being asked by people throughout northeastern Ontario — why don’t we have a cancer centre here?
With a “critical mass” of people asking this very question, the movement to have a cancer centre built in the Sudbury area was born, Lougheed said.
Last week, the Regional Cancer Program at Sudbury Regional Hospital celebrated its 20th birthday.
On Nov. 3, an 20th anniversary open house was held at the cancer centre, which combined tours of the facility with a career fair for cancer centre jobs. On Nov. 5, a staff celebration of the cancer centre’s 20th anniversary was held.
Lougheed, who led the “Candle of Hope” fundraising campaign to build the cancer centre in the 1980s, spoke at the celebration.
The fundraising campaign had the goal of raising $5.5 million of the $14 million it would cost to build the cancer centre. The balance of the capital funds was paid by the province.
The community ended up raising $9.1 million for the cause. Lougheed said he used the extra funds to purchase more equipment and to establish the Northern Cancer Research Foundation.
Twenty nine thousand people donated to the Candle of Hope campaign, he said. Of that number, 611 donated more than $1,000.
“An awful lot of Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, church groups gave $100, $200 or $500,” Lougheed said. “It showed just the enormous support in the community for wanting to build this cancer centre.”
Former mayor and Sudbury MPP Jim Gordon was a valuable ally in the fight to secure funding for a cancer centre for the city, he said. At the time, he was the parliamentary assistant to Minister of Health Larry Grossman, Lougheed said.
The facility on Ramsey Lake Road that houses the Regional Cancer Program. On Nov. 3, a 20th anniversary open house was held at the cancer centre.
But the project was opposed by Princess Margaret Hospital, who wanted to keep patients from northern Ontario coming to its facility, he said.
When it came time to recruit a founding CEO for the new cancer centre, Princess Margaret said none of its oncologists were interested in the job.
“They controlled all of the people who could be the CEO of the centre.”
Eventually, Dr. Robert Corringham was recruited from England to become the founding CEO.
Corringham was responsible for overseeing the capital project, which ended up coming in $1 million underbudget. Without authorization, Corringham used the extra $1 million to purchase a linear accelerator.
Lougheed said, when the governing body for cancer services in Ontario found out about the extra linear accelerator, they wanted Corringham fired.
“I ... had to explain that we had saved the money, and we viewed it as our money, and we’d been very successful in our fundraising, and Dr. Corringham was only looking after the future needs of northern cancer patients,” he said.
If you check with anybody in Sudbury, or anybody in northeastern Ontario, they always call it ‘our’ cancer centre. It’s not ‘the’ cancer centre ...
Gerry Lougheed Jr.,
fundraiser and champion of the city’s cancer centre
“We felt that it shouldn’t be something that he should be disciplined for, but rewarded for. The board agreed with us.”
Lougheed said his mother eventually ended up using the services of the Regional Cancer Program in Sudbury. After dealing with malignant melanoma, she had a brush with breast cancer and then fought bone marrow cancer.
She died in 2006 of a blood clot in her brain related to the side effects of experimental cancer treatment.
Lougheed said he’s amazed at how people seem to have an “ownership” of the institution.
“If you check with anybody in Sudbury, or anybody in northeastern Ontario, they always call it our cancer centre,” he said. “It’s not ‘the’ cancer centre, it’s ‘our’ cancer centre.”
Mark Hartman, the interim vice-president of the Regional Cancer Program, said the facility has come a long way from its origins.
Its research program has expanded, and clinical research trials were established, along with services to help patients through the psycho-social effects of cancer, he said.
Researchers at the cancer centre were among the pioneers of stem cell research, Hartman, who has worked at the institution since 1992, said.
Renovations to the facility, which began about 10 years ago, have increased the space available in the cancer centre for patient services and research.
In keeping with the theme of bringing cancer treatment closer to home, the Regional Cancer Program now provides radiation treatment at Sault Area Hospital, he said.
When asked about the community campaign to bring a Positron Emission Tomography (PET) machine to the cancer centre, Hartman said support from the government and extensive community fundraising are needed before this happens.
“Care closer to home, in that same vein, is always better,” he said.
“But certainly it requires the funding to be able to make that a reality.”
