KELOWNA – The BC Cancer Agency Centre for the Southern Interior has had its name changed to honour the late BC Liberal MLA Sindi Ahluwalia Hawkins. The BC Cancer Agency Sindi Ahluwalia Hawkins Centre for the Southern Interior provides cancer patients and their families with the services they require close to home.
A nurse and a lawyer, Ahluwalia Hawkins served as an MLA, as Minister of State for Intergovernmental Relations, Deputy Speaker and as Minister of Health Planning. “I am very proud to see Sindi’s memory – her dedication to the fight against cancer – live on though the BC Cancer Agency Sindi Ahluwalia Hawkins Centre for the Southern Interior,” said Health Minister Michael de Jong. She championed for better cancer care and research throughout British Columbia before losing her seven-year battle with acute myeloid leukemia in 2010.
“Sindi was a passionate advocate for the delivery of the best care possible for people affected by cancer and her legacy represents our commitment to continue to be the leader in delivering the highest quality of cancer care in Canada,” Lorraine McGrath, board member, Provincial Health Services Authority.
As a former nurse and someone who battled her own form of cancer, Ahluwalia Hawkins was sympathetic to the needs of other Interior cancer patients. She helped establish the Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Outreach Program of B.C., a first of its kind in North America. This program provides outreach clinics at four locations outside of Vancouver to serve eligible patients who cannot conveniently travel to the Lower Mainland for appointments.
Ahluwalia Hawkins understood the economic and personal hardships cancer patients face when travelling to Vancouver for an extended period of time. As a Cabinet minister and MLA with the B.C. government, Ahluwalia Hawkins initiated a project to provide better housing options for cancer patients and their families. Now, thanks to a partnership between the Province, the Krall family and the VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation, leukemia/bone marrow and solid organ transplant patients needing to travel to Vancouver have access to housing services. The Patient Accommodation Pilot Project helps patients and their families find housing options for the duration of their time at Vancouver General Hospital.
Ahluwalia Hawkins, a proud Canadian who was of Punjabi/Sikh descent, understood the challenges that ethnic patients faced in finding a stem cell donor. She actively blogged and spoke at events throughout her illness to encourage more ethnically diverse donors to register with the national stem cell registry. She organized stem cell drives and launched the Thanks Mom drive in 2006. Ahluwalia Hawkins worked with Canadian Blood Services to initiate the OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network in Canada, which matches donors to patients who require stem cell transplants.
This program eliminates the need for people to travel to hospitals for a blood test, as a cheek swab can now be done from home and mailed to Canadian Blood Services. Even after she was diagnosed, Ahluwalia Hawkins continued her efforts to raise over $20 million dollars for B.C. cancer care and research. The BC Cancer Agency Sindi Ahluwalia Hawkins Centre for the Southern Interior will be a lasting tribute to her life and legacy. This centre provides a comprehensive cancer control system for all Southern Interior residents and is part of a province-wide network providing patients with the highest quality of care.
