Students Provide Hope for Cancer Patients at Cape Breton Regional Hospital

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

June 28^th, 2017

Media Release

George D. Lewis Students Provide Hope for Cancer Patients at Cape Breton Regional Hospital

SYDNEY, N.S –  There are few times in the life of a cancer patient that are more emotional, exhausting and painful than during treatment, but thanks to a special group of grade five students, from George D. Lewis Elementary School, some cancer patients are feeling hope.

A  group of four students came to the Cape Breton Regional Hospital on Wednesday with 200 Bags of Hope that were designed and assembled by the ten and eleven year olds.

“They wanted to do something good for the community,” said Lorna Minihan, the grade five teacher who organized the gift. “I was amazed at how committed they were to this project.”

The bags are designed to give the patients some comfort during a time when they’re often uncomfortable and spirits can be low. Each bag includes: a homemade magic bag, a bottle of water, an inspirational letter written by one of the students, a journal to jot down thoughts, a pen, an envelope with a planting disk and a sunflower seed with an inspirational saying on the envelope.

The students, who had never sewn before, sewed 200 home-made magic bags by hand. “It only took us 8 hours to sew them all,” said Christian Steeves, one of the six students in the grade five class.

A group of students came in last year with a similar gift, but this year they wanted to help children as well. “We’ve heard so much about the tremendous work done by the Caleb’s Courage team that we wanted to send some hope their way too,” said Minihan. Fifty of the 200 bags went to pediatrics in honour of the Caleb’s Courage Superhero Suite. The children’s bags include a few extra items. “We also included a pack of bubbles, an activity book, crayons, a toy and a story book for the kids.”

With over 150 cancer patients visiting our cancer centre each day, the bags will certainly be used and spread the hope. “We have a great staff, great resources and top quality equipment, but a gift like this is something extra that genuinely brings happiness to the patients,” said Thomas Ashford, Manager of Radiation Services in the Cancer Centre.

Some bags of hope were placed on the cancer centre waiting room chairs for the patients to receive the next morning, some were taken to pediatrics and the rest will be offered to any patients who want that little bit of extra hope.

Since 1992, the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation, in partnership with the community has raised more than $38 million to purchase equipment, and fund upgrades at the Regional Hospital. Thanks to the generosity of the community, the foundation has been able to purchase priority equipment which provides world-class care, closer to home.

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For more information, please contact:

Mark Inglis

Communications Officer

Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation

902.567.7054

Mark.Inglis@nshealth.ca