InspireHealth supportive cancer care clinic to open by year’s end in Kamloops

A $1 million donation has been made to open up an InspireHealth Supportive Cancer Care Clinic in Kamloops. 

The announcement was made on Wednesday, Sept. 10, at an event attended by local First Nations, Interior Health board members, dignitaries and members of Kamloops City Council. The donation was made by Anthony Salituro, founder of the Pink Ribbon Charity Ball, in partnership with the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation and the Kamloops Cancer Supportive Care Society.  

“This clinic will provide patients and their families with resources, guidance and care that will go beyond treatment,” Salituro said. “Care that supports the whole person. This is just the beginning. I promise to commit time and to continue my philanthropy work with the support of InspireHealth and ensure that the people of Kamloops facing cancer will never have to walk through this journey alone.” 

During his speech announcing the donation, Salituro explained that his cancer fundraising journey began in 1998 when he was 19. At the time, his Aunt Josephine had recently survived breast cancer, and he told her about the idea that would become the Pink Ribbon Charity Ball. 

“Together we set out to raise funds and awareness for breast cancer research right from her dining room table,” Salituro said. “For the next 16 years, the Pink Ribbon Ball grew into Kamloops’ premiere fundraising event. By 2013, when we were ready to finally call it quits, we raised one million dollars in support of the Canada Breast Cancer Foundation.” 

In 2017, Salituro decided his work wasn’t done and met with Heidi Coleman, the CEO of the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation. He agreed to work with the donors from the ball to raise another million dollars for Cancer care in Kamloops. In just four years, barring an interruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, they were able to reach this goal. 

“Since then, this money has been sitting here for the opportunity for the right project, for the right time that would truly make a difference,” Salituro said. “That opportunity arrived about a year ago when I was introduced to InspireHealth.” 

When Salituro was first approached about using the money to find cancer supportive care, he admitted he didn’t know what that entailed. After attending their fundraising gala in Vancouver last year, he got to meet some of the people who have received such care from InspireHealth and realized how powerful this kind of care could be. Salituro decided to donate the banked money to this project after consulting with some healthcare professionals. 

Coleman said this new clinic won’t only serve the people of Kamloops, but also the surrounding regions throughout Interior B.C. She noted that there are significant gaps that exist in this part of the province when it comes to cancer care that this clinic intends to fill. 

“We’re here to share a very special announcement for supportive cancer care in Kamloops, but I’m just going to add free supportive cancer care in Kamloops,” Coleman said.

Following Salituro’s donation, Coleman invited the CEO of InspireHealth, Loveena Chera, to speak and explain more about what her organization does. InspireHealth is an organization that focuses on reducing the stress that cancer patients go through during and after treatment by promoting healthy diets and creating positive support networks. Coleman noted that InspireHealth has been working in the Kamloops community in the past, but it’s all been done virtually. 

Chera thanked Salituro for the generous gift and told him he was making a “life-changing impact” on the lives of cancer patients and their loved ones in Kamloops, adding that InspireHealth is happy to welcome him to their board of directors. She also acknowledged Coleman and her foundation’s work in supporting the health of the community. 

“This clinic is the result of collaboration, not only between InspireHealth, the Royal Inland Hospital Foundation and the Kamloops Supportive Care Society, but also countless stakeholders and organizers in this community,” Chera said. 

This clinic will allow InspireHealth to offer free support for their physical, emotional and mental health from its location in Kamloops Square. Chera further pledged that it will be open by the end of 2025.

 “That’s what this centre will provide, comprehensive programming to support the physical and mental health of patients with any type of cancer and any stage of cancer right from the moment of diagnosis, through treatment and beyond,” Chera said. 

The clinic will offer one-on-one consultations and group programs, Chera said. These programs will be offered by a team consisting of a cancer care psychologist, a clinic counsellor, a registered dietitian, and an exercise therapist. These in-person team members will be supported by a virtual network of InspireHealth clinicians. 

Ann McCarthy, from the Kamloops Cancer Supportive Care Society, noted that she has been a cancer patient for 20 years and is still receiving treatment eight years after she was given six months to live. Throughout her long journey with cancer, she has learned that cancer treatment isn’t just about medication and mitigating symptoms; it’s about being treated as a whole person. 

“Every cancer patient knows that the cancer experience and treatment can have far-reaching side effects. I spent a long time following my first diagnosis feeling lost and alone, not knowing where to turn for help I didn’t know I needed,” McCarthy said. “Receiving supportive care has been a turning point in my cancer experience. Working with InspireHealth and their wonderful, compassionate healthcare team, I have learned that allowing myself to accept help is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of strength.” 

With the help of InspireHealth, McCarthy said she’s not only been able to survive cancer, but thrive despite it. That’s why she and the other members of the Kamloops Cancer Supportive Care Society have worked so hard to bring an InspireHealth clinic to Kamloops. 

Coleman concluded the event by thanking everyone who attended, noting the RIH Foundation board is committed to supporting the sustainability of the centre long-term in Kamloops. They will be looking to both the public and the government to secure long-term funding for the Kamloops clinic, like the other cities that host InspireHealth clinics. 

“I know cancer touches everyone. I want this to be filled with people, not necessarily cancer patients, but with supporters of cancer care. We’ll see you here again soon to cut the ribbon,” Coleman said.