Your Generosity is Strengthening Breast Imaging Care Close to Home

This year, our community came together to improve breast cancer screening and diagnostic care for patients across St. Thomas and Elgin County.

Thanks to heartfelt support from individuals, events, community groups, and a transformational legacy gift, new mammography technology has been 100% funded.

‍Community Stories of Support

A Legacy of Love from Barbara Blewitt

Barbara Blewitt’s extraordinary legacy gift has transformed breast imaging and patientcare at STEGH. Through her generosity — alongside the shared legacy of her husband, Ted Blewitt and her parents, Ottie and Clara Underhill —a new Mammography machine has been fully funded, strengthening compassionate, advanced care for patients when they need it most.

Barbara chose to leave her estate to local charities that shaped her life — including the hospital, library, church, and seniors centre. She often expressed a desire to “give back to the community and friends” who meant so much to her.

Her gift to STEGH reflects that lifelong commitment ensuring compassionate and advanced care for patients during some of their most vulnerable moments — a lasting expression of love for the place she called home.

Born and raised in Elgin County, Barb spent nearly 100 years in the community she loved. She and her husband Ted were married for more than 70 years, living a simple, hard-working life grounded in care for others. Over time, the investments they built together grew into a legacy with the power to strengthen local health care for generations.

Turning Advocacy into Action: THE BOTTONI PROJECT

Founded by male breast cancer survivor Brian Lynch in honour of his surgeon, Dr. David Bottoni, THE BOTTONI PROJECT exists to break the silence around male breast cancer and ensure men know they are at risk too. Through awareness events including THE BOTTONI RIDE, this project has directed significant community fundraising toward STEGH’s Diagnostic Imaging department - including mammography - helping ensure both men and women have access to earlier detection and more accurate imaging.

Their advocacy and generosity continue to change the conversation around breast cancer in our region and strengthen care close to home.

‍A Community Tradition of Care: Geerlinks Home Hardware

Pink Pumpkin Day has grown into one of the region’s most recognizable breast cancer awareness traditions, thanks to the entire Geerlinks team. Hosted simultaneously at three locations – St. Thomas, Port Stanley and Parkhill - the events invited families to purchase bright pink pumpkins that symbolized hope, solidarity, and early detection. Every pumpkin sold helped fund STEGH’s mammography advancements, bringing modern breast imaging technology closer to home for women and men across Elgin County.

Driving Care Forward: Carrier Truck Centers

Carrier Truck Centers has been a longstanding champion of local healthcare, using its workplace culture and community reach to drive impactful fundraising. Through employee-led giving and event participation, the Carrier Trucks team has helped accelerate STEGH’s ability to upgrade mammography equipment. Their commitment demonstrates how local businesses can meaningfully influence healthcare by ensuring patients have access to accurate, comfortable breast imaging services right here at home.

Meeting a Growing Need for Breast Imaging Services

STEGH is an Accredited Breast Assessment Centre, providing a comprehensive scope of Breast Imaging procedures — including screening, assessments, biopsies, pre-surgical localization, and contrast-enhanced mammography.

With Ontario recently expanding the provincial screening program to include individuals aged 40–49, local demand for Breast Imaging services continues to rise. Increased screening volumes, callbacks, and diagnostic procedures made expanding our technology essential.

Your generosity helped STEGH respond quickly and confidently — ensuring timely, modern, accessible care for everyone who needs it.

Introducing Tomosynthesis

Our new mammography machine uses Digital Breast Tomosynthesis, an advanced 3D technology that captures multiple images from different angles and reconstructs them into a detailed, layered view.

This breakthrough technology helps:

• Earlier cancer detection
• More accurate scans resulting in less false positives
• Clearer imaging for dense tissue
• Fewer repeat procedures

This is one of the most effective tools available for early breast cancer detection — and now, it’s available right here at home.

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Your Generosity Will Be Felt for Years to Come

The impact of this project will touch thousands of lives — offering earlier detection, compassionate care, and more hopeful outcomes.

Thank you for helping ensure that everyone in our community has access to modern Breast Imaging services, close to home.

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