Event seeks to raise $100,000 for cancer research machine

The machine can be used for research and clinical applications, and can help doctors detect breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer and melanoma through blood samples.

The machine will also help researchers learn more about the progression and development of diseases like breast cancer.

The ion torrent analyzer will allow doctors to personalize treatment for their cancer patients, said Annette Cressy, the founder of Angels in Pink and breast cancer survivor. Once a cancer patient's blood goes through the machine, she said, doctors can determine if they are candidates for treatments other than chemotherapy.

Tickets for the Pink Glove Party cost $80 each, and will buy a full four-course meal and access to the evening's entertainment from Sudbury band the Bluez Brothers and local musician Joey Niceforo.

Fifty dollars from each ticket will go toward the fund to pay for the ion torrent analyzer.

To help raise further funds, the event will also feature live auctions for a number of prizes, including a tour of the underground research facility SNOLAB, and a trip for two to anywhere in Canada from Porter Airlines.

Cressy started Angels in Pink in 2009 to help purchase breast cancer diagnostic equipment for the Northeast Cancer Centre.

So far the group has purchased a breast coil table, used in conjunction with an MRI for imaging and early detection, a vacuum-assisted biopsy system and a patient van, to help bring people to and from the hospital for treatment.

“Everybody gets touched by cancer,” said Angels in Pink member Bev Brisco. “All we're asking is for people to contribute $50 to a machine that may at some point in time save their life or that of a family member.”

Tickets for the Pink Glove Party are available through the Sudbury Theatre Centre by calling 705-675-8331 or visiting www.sudburytheatre.ca.