There are few things in life as terrifying as hearing the words “you have cancer.” Those three little words change everything.

They certainly did for Amy Semple, who was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 32. But thanks to timely access to advanced diagnostic tools and targeted, technologically advanced treatment options at Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC), Amy is alive to tell her story.

With almost 26,000 cancer care visits last year, PRHC’s ability to provide cancer care excellence goes hand in hand with access to new, urgently needed equipment. Our hospital has identified $6.2 million in cancer equipment and technology that must be purchased in the next three years.

Many people don’t realize government funding only covers a portion of what hospitals need to meet the best practices in patient care. It’s private donations from people like you that allow PRHC to purchase the technology and equipment to advance patient care — both in cancer care and throughout the hospital.

Please read Amy’s story and watch her video below, and read a message from PRHC Oncologist Dr. Neera Jeyabalan. And then please consider giving more families the Gift of Hope by making a donation to the PRHC Foundation to fund the equipment and technology to make world-class cancer care possible at your hospital.

This is the third of a series from the PRHC Foundation to show how your donations to our hospital make a real difference in the lives of real people. Over the next three weeks, kawarthaNOW will be sharing these stories of hope from patients, doctors, and parents. This week’s story is how donations help advance cancer care at our hospital.

Amy Semple’s story

Hi. I’m Amy Semple.

Wife. Daughter. Teacher. Nature Lover. Dog Mom. Breast Cancer Survivor.

I don’t remember the words, just the feeling. Everything just stopped.

The last thing I ever expected was to be sitting in my doctor’s office getting the worst news of my life. 32 years old and I was a statistic. I was one of the 1 in 8 women diagnosed with breast cancer every year.

In my head, I started pleading for this not to be my reality. But for me, and so many women in our region, it is. And it’s terrifying.

I couldn’t change my diagnosis, but my hospital was here for me when I needed it most.

When I started my cancer journey at PRHC I was quickly made aware of all of the different areas of the hospital that were going to be used to support my survival. From the Breast Assessment Centre and the Cancer Care Unit, to the Operating Room, Diagnostic Imaging and the Lab — my diagnosis and treatment were supported from beginning to end, close to home.

Cancer can break you. It almost broke me. It was my family, my friends, my students, and everyone at PRHC who got me through it and I’m so grateful. If you’ve ever made a donation to the PRHC Foundation, you were with me too. Thank you.

Today I’m lucky to have a good prognosis for a long, healthy life. I support the PRHC Foundation because I know firsthand how much it means not to have to travel for cancer care. It was the expert, compassionate staff, and the donor-funded equipment and technology that kept me alive. Now I want to do my part for the many people facing their own cancer journey.

Everyone has a reason to give. This is mine.

Please join me. Your donation today will make an impact in the lives of cancer patients from across the region. At the most frightening time they can imagine, help me give them the Gift of Hope this holiday season.

With sincere gratitude,
Amy Semple
PRHC Patient and PRHC Foundation Donor

Breast cancer survivor Amy Semple shares how PRHC Foundation donors helped save her life

A message from Dr. Neera Jeyabalan, PRHC Oncologist

We’re seeing more cancer patients at PRHC than ever before: from 4,500 patient visits in 2008 to almost 26,000 visits last year. But our ability to provide the care our patients need goes hand in hand with access to state-of-the-art equipment.

That’s why I’m so grateful for donor support. You’re there when we diagnose cancer early, when we provide patients with quality treatment close to home, and when we give them the innovative, compassionate and personalized care they need for their best chance of recovery.

So thank you for supporting the 2018 Gift of Hope campaign. With your support, we can give more cancer patients the gift of time — years, even decades, to embrace life and create special memories with friends and family.

The Peterborough Regional Health Centre (PRHC) Foundation works with donors to fund the equipment and technology that form the backbone of patient care at PRHC — bringing new lifesaving services to our region, and helping attract and retain expert doctors, nurses, and staff. For more information, visit www.prhcfoundation.ca or call 705-876-5000. You can also follow the PRHC Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Next September, for the first time in 15 years, the Canadian Forces (CF) Snowbirds aerial demonstration team will be performing in Peterborough.

The CF Snowbirds will perform during a two-day weekend air show on September 21 and 22, 2019 at the Peterborough Airport, which will also include other aerial demonstrations, static aircraft displays, local food vendors, and activities for kids.

The air show is part of the Peterborough Airport’s celebration of 50 years of operation in 2019.

“The 50th anniversary of the Peterborough Airport is a celebration of the city’s connection to the aviation sector and a tribute to the many people who have contributed to the airport’s success,” says Peterborough Mayor Diane Therrien.

“The city’s investment in the airport over the past decade has delivered significant economic growth for our region and this will be a great opportunity for the community to experience it.”

VIDEO: Canadian Forces Snowbirds

The CF Snowbirds represent the Canadian Army, Navy and Air Force and work as a team to bring thrilling performances to the Canadian public. Serving as ambassadors of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), the CF Snowbirds demonstrate the high level of skill, professionalism, teamwork, discipline and dedication inherent in the men and women of the CAF and they inspire the pursuit of excellence wherever they go in North America.

“We are excited to mark the 50th anniversary by presenting the CF Snowbirds to the public that have supported the airport over the past half century,” says airport general manager Trent Gervais. “About 16,000 people visited the Peterborough Airport during the Air Legends event in 2018 and we look forward to building on those numbers.”

More details about the air show, including the schedule, features, and ticket information, will be coming in 2019.

Those whose business it is to be creative know full well that inspiration can come from anywhere and everywhere and all points in between.

While attending Humber College, Peterborough native Carley Smale kept up correspondence with her grandmother, exchanging letters with her on a regular basis.

“I asked her to be my pen pal,” recalls Smale, 28.

“Even though I’ve known her my whole life, I was learning new things about her through her letters. I thought the concept of two people writing back and forth and kind of falling in love would be a cute idea.”

Two years ago, Smale put that “cute idea” on paper, writing the script for Christmas Pen Pals, also inspired by past similarly themed films like The Shop Around The Corner (1940) and You’ve Got Mail (1998).

There things sat until Lifetime came calling, informing Smale that her script would be produced as a new TV movie. On December 15th, Lifetime will premiere Christmas Pen Pals in the United States with the Canadian premiere following on December 22nd on Super Channel.

Directed by Siobhan Devine and shot on location in Fort Langley, British Columbia, the film stars Sarah Drew (Dr. April Kepner on Grey’s Anatomy), Canadian actor Niall Matter (The Predator, Primeval: New World, and Eureka), and Michael Gross, best known for his role as Steven Keaton on the hit comedy sitcom Family Ties (1982-1989).

Following an unexpected breakup weeks before Christmas, Hannah (Drew), a tech wiz and creator of the dating app Perfect One, heads home for the holidays, challenged to save her failing business by re-conceiving a new romantic dating model.

Upon her return, she runs into her high school boyfriend Sam (Matter), who she has carefully avoided for years, and reluctantly makes a deal with her dad Ted (Gross) to sign up for the town’s Christmas Cupid, an anonymous holiday pen pal service.

Hannah is smitten by each letter she receives and starts to believe her Christmas pen pal could be her soul mate. It’s not until Christmas Eve that everyone must reveal their true identities to their pen pals, even if it means coming face to face with the last person they ever expected.

“When I started writing scripts, I never really thought that they would every actually get made into films,” says Smale.

“That has happened quite a few times now but it truly never gets old. I’m always so blown away by it. I’m very grateful because it has been my dream.”

An avid writer and movie fan as a youth, the Crestwood Secondary School graduate moved to Toronto to attend Humber College where she studied film and media. While in college, she interned with a production company that made TV movies. Smale’s first produced screenplay, The Christmas Parade, premiered on the Hallmark Channel.

2014 was a breakthrough year for Smale, seeing her produce and direct her first feature film, Cold Season, which won Best No-Budget Feature at the 2015 Toronto Independent Film Festival. Then, in December 2015, Smale’s original story concept titled On The 12th Day Of Christmas premiered on the Hallmark Channel and was the #1 TV movie of the weekend with 5.4 million viewers.

Buoyed by those successes, Smale went out on her own to pursue writing full time. In December 2017, her screenplay for the comedy-drama Snowed-Inn Christmas premiered on Lifetime.

VIDEO: Christmas Pen Pals Sneak Peek

“I wake up every morning and sit at my desk and write,” says Smale. “It definitely does not come easily. I find it extremely difficult to sit at a desk and spend a day by myself and get pages out.

“It’s hard to continue to be inspired every day because a lot of the time you’re sitting alone. You can get a little stir crazy, for sure. I create a vision board for how I see the movie and that keeps me motivated and inspired.”

Smale, joined by her mom Wendy, was able to spend a few days on the set of Christmas Pen Pals. She describes the experience of seeing and hearing actors speak the words she wrote as “surreal”. And while she is pitching films rooted in different genres, Smale is cognizant of the fact that Christmas-themed script writing has proven lucrative for her.

“Christmas movies are very wholesome,” she assesses.

“I think people enjoy that kind of escape, especially at this time of year when they are wrapping presents or decorating the tree. There’s a charm that draws people in. There’s definitely nostalgia too.

“A lot of people say ‘Well, they’re all just the same’ but it’s not true. There is a formula to it, but writing characters that have personalities and writing a story that keeps an audience engaged is not as simple as it may seem.”

While she lives in Toronto, Smale gets home to Peterborough on a regular basis. For the fourth time, she has organized the Warming Room Christmas Party.

Set for Thursday, December 13th, 7 p.m., at The Venue (286 George Street North, Peterborough, 705-876-0008), the featured performers are Melissa Payne, Kate Suhr, Kate Brioux, and Paper Shakers. Admission is pay-what-you-can with all proceeds going to Warming Room Community Ministries, which provides shelter for the homeless and daily meals for those dealing with food insecurity.

“I used to work there (at the Warming Room) and it was an extremely eye-opening experience,” says Smale.

“It made me realize how much my perspective was wrong about people that don’t have a home. (Warming Room director) Christian Harvey is doing pretty amazing things. I’m really proud to be a part of it.”

As for her professional career, Smale is in the midst of script pitching season — the period from November through January when producers review scripts for potential production.

“In the new year, I could be unemployed,” she says.

“Everything is kind of up in the air at this time of year. Hopefully there will be something but it is still fun and pitching is an exciting time.”

And, as expected, she’s anxious to see the film her script anchored.

“The director is going to send me a link (to the movie) in the next few days. I always try to watch by myself first so I can really analyze every frame of it.

“I am very excited. When I went to the set and saw Sara Drew and Niall Matter doing scenes together, I was pretty blown away by how much passion they gave to their characters and how much chemistry they had.”

For more information on the Canadian premiere of Christmas Pen Pals, visit www.superchannel.ca/show/76550779/christmas-pen-pals.