Mater Foundation has received more than $70 000 to purchase an important piece of equipment for Mater Private Hospital Springfield, thanks to the generosity of the Greater Springfield community.
The funds were raised at the Greater Springfield Ball last month, hosted by Springfield Land Corporation.
Mater Foundation Chief Executive Officer Nigel Harris said the funds would go towards purchasing a Gamma Probe, which would improve the treatment of cancer patients at the hospital.
“As always, guests who attended the Greater Springfield Ball were incredibly generous on the night and funds have since continued to roll in,” he said.
“We would also like to sincerely thank the event sponsors, as it would not be possible without them.
“The Gamma Probe is used to remove melanoma cancers, and can also identify which lymph nodes have been affected in women with breast cancer.
“Over the past five years since we have been a beneficiary of the Greater Springfield Ball, more than $270 000 has been raised for Mater, with some funds going towards equipment and facilities locally at Mater Private Hospital Springfield.”
The Gamma Probe enables surgeons to target and remove only the affected nodes in a patient, rather than having to remove all of them.
Patients who are treated using the Gamma Probe are expected to have better health outcomes, experience faster recovery times and are less likely to experience complications.
The Gamma Probe will help cancer patients like Carolyn Attwood (featured in the film below), a Mater Private Hospital Springfield employee, who was diagnosed with breast cancer last year and has since received treatment at the hospital.