A Victoria couple’s generous donation has helped a B.C. Cancer Foundation campaign reach its goal.
Clive and Ann Piercy donated $250,000 to the foundation’s Inspire the World campaign June 7, capping off the $10-million campaign which was started in September 2009.
The money will go towards building a new patient and family support centre at the B.C. Cancer Agency, as well as a new ward for early cancer detection in patients. The agency is located next to the Royal Jubilee hospital.
Clive said he was inspired to make such a donation because his wife, Ann, is an ovarian cancer survivor. She was diagnosed early in 2008, he said, but he wished the cancer didn’t even make it to the operable stage.
“If there had been earlier detection, we could have saved her the trauma of the operation,” he said. “If research had happened, we’d hope someone could be detected earlier at the pre-operable stage.”
Clive is the president of the Chateau Victoria Hotel and has been a Victoria businessman all his life. Ann works for the Pacific Opera Victoria.
The new ward for early detection will be named after the Piercys.
Laura Walsh of the B.C. Cancer Foundation said she thinks the couple was inspired by the leading-edge research that goes on at the cancer agency.
She said the new addition, which will combine patient care, support and research, will be unique in B.C. and possibly even Canada.
“There’s real power in bringing them all together.”
Construction on the new addition will start in August, and is expected to take a year.
intern@vicnews.com
