A preparation and recovery area in the upgraded interventional radiology department at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) has been named in memory of two long-time supporters of healthcare in the region.
The PRHC Foundation dedicated the space in honour of the late Margaret (Margie) and Robert (Bob) Lightbody during a ceremony at the hospital on Friday (August 7).
The couple’s daughters Deborah Keay and Dr. Tamara Lightbody attended the ceremony with their spouses and children, along with PRHC Foundation president and CEO Lesley Heighway, PRHC director of corporate services, diagnostic imaging and emergency preparedness Meghan Darwin, and PRHC interventional radiologist Dr. Fady Abdelsayed.
According to a media release from PRHC Foundation, the dedication recognizes a donation Margie made on behalf of herself and Bob shortly before her death in 2022, fulfilling the couple’s wish to make one final major investment in patient care in their community.
Their donation helped fund the hospital’s $6-million upgrade and expansion of its interventional radiology facilities, which was completed last year and supported through donations to the PRHC Foundation.
Interventional radiology uses real-time imaging such as CT scans, fluoroscopy, and ultrasound to guide needles, guidewires, and catheters through small incisions in the skin or through blood vessels.
The minimally invasive procedures can be used to diagnose and treat conditions including stroke, cancer, organ failure, internal bleeding, and trauma. Compared with traditional surgery, the procedures can result in less pain, shorter recovery times, and better outcomes.
The Lightbodys had a personal connection to the types of care supported by the department. Bob died following a stroke in 2017, while Margie was a cancer survivor who advocated for patients to receive leading-edge healthcare close to their families and communities.
“Throughout our lives, our parents modelled the importance of giving back to our community,” Keay and Dr. Lightbody said in a joint statement.
“Over the years, they generously gave their time, energy and resources to causes they believed would make a meaningful difference. They valued healthcare that could be provided close to home, so patients could be surrounded and supported by their families.”
The sisters said their parents would have been honoured to have their names associated with an area of the hospital that can improve the lives of many patients.
“The IR preparation and recovery area represents their own values of welcoming, comforting and caring, as well as gaining insight and sharing knowledge,” they said.
Margie served for nine years on the PRHC Foundation’s board of directors and chaired its 2011 Closer to Care campaign, which helped bring radiation treatment for cancer patients to the Peterborough hospital for the first time.
She was named a PRHC Foundation Governor Emeritus in 2020 in recognition of her volunteer leadership. She and Bob also supported cancer care and mental health care at the hospital.
A former teacher at Adam Scott Collegiate Vocational Institute, Margie was also a member of Survivors Abreast, the breast cancer survivors’ dragon boat team that hosts the annual Peterborough Dragon Boat Festival.
“Margie and Bob believed deeply in giving back to the community they loved,” Heighway said. “Their generosity has made a lasting difference for thousands of patients and families.”
“Their philanthropy is a powerful reflection of lives dedicated to helping others. It will ensure future generations will benefit from leading-edge healthcare closer to home.”
The upgraded interventional radiology facilities opened in December 2025 following the $6-million donor-funded investment, the largest completed investment at that time under the foundation’s $70-million Campaign for PRHC.
The project included upgrading and expanding two 16-year-old suites with new imaging technology, adding a third suite for rapid and high-demand procedures, and increasing the preparation and recovery area’s capacity from 10 to 14 patients.
PRHC is one of the province’s busiest interventional radiology centres, serving more than 300,000 people in Peterborough and surrounding communities. Before the expansion, the hospital’s interventional radiologists were already performing more than 6,000 procedures annually.
The additional suite and upgraded equipment allow the hospital to treat more patients and more complex conditions while improving precision and reducing wait times. The investment also helped PRHC increase its complement of interventional radiologists from four to five.
