a peek inside the fishbowl

22 Sep, 2017

Supporting women’s health in Ottawa (sponsored*)

Posted by andrea tomkins in: Sponsored posts

I need a bit of time to think about some of the issues I brought up in the first part of my post about kids and smartphones. Can you tell I’ve hit a bit of a breaking point? Sigh. In the meantime, I wanted share with you some information about an important campaign kickstarted by Shoppers Drug Mart that is helping women in our community.*

Growing Women’s Health

Earlier this month, Shoppers Drug Mart LOVE. YOU. launched the 15th annual Growing Women’s Health in-store campaign. It’s a program that has supported more than 500 unique local women’s health charities in cities and towns across the country.

Here in Ottawa, a group of 35 stores have chosen to raise funds for The Ottawa Hospital Breast Health Centre.

I am a big fan of The Ottawa Hospital and the great work they do there. A couple of years ago I interviewed Dr. Jean Seely, the head of Breast Imaging at TOH, for a series of articles I was working on for the Ottawa Business Journal. To put it plainly, she knocked my socks off. In fact, all of the doctors and researchers I spoke to for that series left me feeling – how can I put it – happy, astounded, amazed, and relieved. These are passionate people who are at the top of their field, whose mission it is to deliver first-class health care to us, the people of Ottawa. But the hospital story isn’t just about diagnosis and treatment. Few people pause to think about the research and innovation that goes on behind the scenes and how driven these people are to find ways (both big and small!) to make a patient’s journey through the medical system the best it can possibly be. And let’s be real. The journey of a breast cancer patient is a particularly tough one. Did you know that as the core of breast health services for Eastern Ontario, The Ottawa Hospital sees more than 35,000 patient visits a year?

Everyone knows someone who has been affected by breast cancer. So I was glad to hear that 35 Shoppers Drug Mart locations in Ottawa are fundraising for breast health. SDM customers can purchase and personalize a “Growing Women’s Health” icon; a “leaf” for a loonie, a “butterfly” for $5, an “apple” for $10 and a “bird” for $50. The icons are prominently displayed on the Growing Women’s Health Tree in all participating stores. Ask about it at the counter, because these donations really add up. Funds raised in past years, and in 2017, will support the hospital’s brand new state-of-the-art Breast Health Centre at the General Campus, which will include a patient waiting area named in honor of Shoppers Drug Mart’s generous customers. To date, more than $875,000 has been raised by Shoppers Drug Mart in support of The Ottawa Hospital. That is something that is worth talking about, don’t you think?

*This post is sponsored in part by Shoppers Drug Mart.


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The Obligatory Blurb

My name is Andrea and I live in the Westboro area of Ottawa with my husband Mark and our dog Piper who is kind of a big deal on Instagram. We also have two human offspring: Emma (24) and Sarah (22). During the day I work as a writer at the Royal Ottawa Mental Health Centre. I am a longtime Ottawa blogger and I've occupied this little corner of the WWW since 1999. The Fishbowl is my whiteboard, water cooler, and journal, all rolled into one. I'm passionate about healthy living, arts and culture, travel, great gear, good food, and sharing the best of Ottawa. I also love vegetables, photography, gadgets, and great design.

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