Important news for women in Saskatchewan was announced on Tuesday. The Kinsmen Foundation announced a $1M donation to the Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan’s Breast Cancer Screening Bus campaign.

That sum means there is enough money-in-the-bank for a new 'state of the art vehicle to support breast cancer screening for women across rural Saskatchewan'. Two 'uniquely Saskatchewan foundations' came together as the monetary gain was only made possible thanks to donations from the annual TeleMiracle telethon.

“This breast cancer screening service plays a critically important, life saving role in the lives of thousands of women across rural Saskatchewan every year. Thanks to the generosity of TeleMiracle donors, we are honored to enable the continuation of this crucial service, for years to come.” said Raelynn Nicholson, chair of the Kinsmen Foundation Board of Directors.

Breast Cancer Bus_0.jpg The current bus set up in Kindersley in late 2022 

The current bus set up in Kindersley in late 2022 

Many west-central women paid a visit to the breast cancer screening bus that frequented the area late last year. It's an important service provided to women all around Saskatchewan, operated out of a bus nearly 20 years old.

Their work takes them across 42 communities on an odd/even year basis with stops in Regina for maintenance in-between. They have been working to raise money for the much-needed piece of medical equipment over the past year of work.

“One year ago, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we launched a campaign to raise $2M to replace and fully equip a new breast screening vehicle. Our donors rose to the task to ensure the continuation of this critical service of breast cancer screening for women in rural and remote communities across the province. Today, thanks to the Kinsmen Foundation, we have reached our $2M fundraising target. We want to thank the Kinsmen Foundation for their donation which will assist in saving the lives of many, many Saskatchewan women for years to come,” Nora Yeates, CEO, Cancer Foundation of Saskatchewan.

Breast cancer represents the leading cause of cancer for women, and second leading cause of death according to the release. The early-detection provided by the new screening unit could help the estimated 760 Saskatchewan women to be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2023. That number also comes from the release, as it also estimates around 170 deaths from the disease.

"The Breast Cancer Screening Bus has facilitated more than 250,000 potentially life-saving screening mammograms to thousands of Saskatchewan women over the past 20 years." 

Find a first-hand account of the importance of the bus inside the full release.

In response to Canada's Online News Act and Meta (Facebook and Instagram) removing access to local news from their platforms, DiscoverEstevan encourages you to get your news directly from your trusted source by bookmarking this page and downloading the DiscoverEstevan app.