The Rotary Club of Newcastle is proud to announce that funds have been donated in the amount of $40,000 for the purchase of a Gamma Lymphatic Probe, in support of the Miramichi Regional Hospital Foundation. Thanks to yearly fund raising efforts such as last years annual Newcastle Rotary Purse Auction that was held on November 2, 2018 we were able to continue our support for our local community and their families.

The Newcastle Rotary Club has a history of assisting the local medical community with needed equipment, so this is not a new path for us. “Many local residents will remember the two Rotary clubs raising a million dollars in the mid-1990’s, in order to purchase the first ever CT Scan for the area, said Auction Co-Chair Karen Howe, but we were also involved in funding the MRI Docking Unit, patient treatment chairs for the Oncology department, and other pieces of hospital equipment over the years.” An extensive list of funded projects is available at www.RotaryClubofNewcastle.org .

A gamma probe is a handheld device containing a scintillation counter, which detects ionizing radiation. It is used following breast cancer surgery to locate and check lymph nodes close to where the lump was removed for
any signs of spreading. An injection of short-acting radiation is used to locate affected lymph nodes by the higher absorption of radioactivity compared to normal tissue. The gamma probe can also be used for colon
cancer and melanoma, as well as to locate small and non-palpable breast lesions. Use of the gamma probe is less invasive than other techniques. Stacey Sutherland, Co-Chair of the auction hopes “having the probe
available during breast cancer surgery will help patient outcomes.”

Shown, from left, is the Newcastle Rotary Club President Greg MacDiarmid, Miramichi Regional Hospital Foundation executive director Joanne Sellars, chairperson Hal Somers and Rotary members Karen Howe, Stacey Sutherland and Ryan Somers.