When someone hears the words, “you have cancer,” it is life changing. But we know they are in good hands at any of the 17 Alberta Health Services cancer centres across the ­province. We hear often from grateful patients and family members – some of whom have sadly lost their loved ones in those centres – about the excellent treatment and care they receive under those roofs.

Our job at the Alberta Cancer Foundation is to make life better for those Albertans by enhancing that care. As you’ll read in this issue of Leap, that might mean a blanket warming machine for the newly renovated Barrhead Community Cancer Centre where generous people in that community and others across Alberta – step up to organize events to support their local facilities. It might mean providing financial assistance to a young couple from Fort McMurray who had to extend their Calgary stay after a bone marrow transplant because they weren’t allowed to go home because of the fire raging through their town. It might also mean making a Christmas stay at the Cross Cancer Institute for a newly diagnosed mother that much more special.

Behind that excellent care comes excellent leadership, whether a longstanding nurse manager in Red Deer or a relative newcomer to the scene at the Tom Baker Cancer Centre who has brought his innovative ideas back to his Alberta roots.

We are privileged to work with these partners in CancerControl Alberta to ensure our patients and families are receiving the best possible treatment and care available. And we know they are.

No matter whether you are facing a diagnosis or are already on the cancer journey, we want to be there to offer three words in return: We will help.

Myka Osinchuk, CEO Alberta Cancer Foundation

Angela Boehm, Chair Alberta Cancer Foundation