KGH Celebrates $800K Donation on One Year Anniversary of Landmark Surgical Oncology Program
KELOWNA, BC, September 25th, 2025 – This September marks the one-year anniversary of the Gynecologic Oncology (Gyn-Onc) Surgical Program in Kelowna. To celebrate the milestone, the KGH Foundation is recognizing a significant donation of $800,000 by Mississauga, Ontario-based FDC Foundation. The gift enabled the purchase of highly specialized equipment needed to operationalize the surgical program at Kelowna General Hospital (KGH), which allowed for 256 women to remain in the interior for their cancer surgeries in the first year alone.
Before the program launched, individuals diagnosed with gynecologic cancers including ovarian, cervical, uterine, vulvar, and vaginal cancers, faced the added burden of traveling to Vancouver for surgery, often experiencing significant delays in care. This distance not only meant separation from families but also created additional financial and emotional strain. Today, thanks to partnership with BC Cancer, clinical leadership at KGH, support from the Province of BC, and a transformational gift from the FDC Foundation, highly specialized gynecological cancer care is now available closer to home in BC’s Southern Interior.
“Bringing this program to KGH has transformed women’s cancer care in our region,” says Bev Sieker, Director of Clinical Operations at KGH and longtime advocate for the program. “In just one year, hundreds of women received timely, specialized surgical care where they need it most – right here in the Southern Interior. The difference this makes in patient outcomes, and in people’s lives, is profound.”
For patient June M. from Vernon, the difference was remarkable. After undergoing surgery for ovarian cancer in Vancouver back in 2019, she was able to have her second surgery for the same cancer at KGH this past August.
“Although both care teams were exceptional, having surgery close by at KGH changed everything,” says June. “When I had to go to Vancouver, I already had so much on my mind, and it only compounded my stress to have to coordinate logistics, travel, and a caregiver. I consider myself to be unfortunately fortunate: unlucky to be facing a cancer journey, but incredibly lucky to have the best team and to now have surgical care close by at KGH near my support system. The donors who made this program possible have touched my life, and the lives of hundreds of women, and I am forever grateful.”
Gynecologic cancers have increased 46% in BC over the past decade, and access to timely, specialized surgery outside major cities has long been uneven. Wait times for women in the interior requiring these specialized surgeries were also a major concern, often exceeding the four-week standard of care benchmark, in some cases by months. The KGH/ BC Cancer Gyn-Onc program directly addresses this gap.
The Province of BC recruited three Gynecologic Oncology surgeons to Kelowna, and under their leadership the program attained the 4-week standard of care from the point of diagnosis within a couple months of opening.
“As cancer rates continue to rise, the need for this program will only grow,” says Dr. Vanessa Carlson, Gynecologic Oncologist at KGH and BC Cancer Kelowna. “Every day, I see what it means for patients to receive care closer to home. Thanks to the FDC Foundation’s investment in specialized equipment for the KGH OR, made possible through the KGH Foundation, we can operate sooner, reduce delays, and keep patients with their families when they need them most. That difference is life changing.”
This gift marks the FDC Foundation’s first major donation to a charity outside of Ontario.
“We are honoured to be the bridge between the generosity of philanthropic donors and the care that touches lives right here in our community,” says Allison Young, CEO of the KGH Foundation. “Because of this generosity, surgeons at KGH can provide specialized, life-saving cancer care closer to home. We are deeply grateful to the FDC Foundation for stepping forward on behalf of the hundreds of women every year in the Southern Interior who face reproductive cancers with such courage.”
Fast Facts
- 256 women have received care through the program to date
- 46% increase in gynecologic cancers across BC in the past decade
- 3 Gynecologic Oncology surgeons recruited to KGH for the program
- 14% projected growth in patient volume over the next five years
Learn more and support Women’s Health at KGH at https://www.kghfoundation.com/womens-health/.
Since 1978, the KGH Foundation has worked with a generous community to raise funds to support world-class healthcare close to home for a growing and diverse population in the interior of B.C. Today, the KGH Foundation is the lead fundraising organization for Kelowna General Hospital, JoeAnna’s House, and Central Okanagan Hospice House, while also fundraising for vital community health care programs
Media Contact:
Jessie Billey
Marketing and Communications Manager
KGH Foundation
t | 250-862-4300 x 27270
e| Jessie.Billey@interiorhealth.ca
