THUNDER BAY – HEALTH – “There are a lot of good causes in this city, but the hospital has to be one of the most important in that it touches everyone in the community at one time or another,” said Peter Knudsen, retired Founder of Equipment World. Peter and his son Lyle, President of Equipment World, were donors to the fundraising campaign for the new hospital in Thunder Bay. They’re impressed with all of the progress at the hospital over the past 10 years. According to Lyle, “The Health Sciences Centre has added a new dynamic to the community as a healthcare hub, teaching facility and provider of top notch health care. We’re way ahead of other communities in terms of the procedures and services we have to offer people here now.”
Equipment World has made another important investment in local healthcare through a donation to the Health Sciences Foundation’s Exceptional Cancer Care (ECC) Campaign. Their gift will put state-of-the-art equipment in the hands of our cancer care professionals, helping ensure exceptional cancer diagnosis, treatment and research for the people of Northwestern Ontario.
The aim is to help Regional Cancer Care Northwest become the best centre in the province for Exceptional Cancer Care. “With the people we met at the centre and what we learned about progress so far and upcoming developments like the cyclotron, I think we’re well on our way to becoming the best in Ontario,” said Lyle.
Equipment World Inc. is a locally-owned company that specializes in material handling, storage and packaging systems for industrial, commercial and institutional customers. Located on Alloy Drive, it also has full service division offices in Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie. Community support is part of Equipment World’s corporate fabric. “We believe in giving back to the communities in which we operate. It’s a very important part of our corporate mandate,” said Lyle. With this in mind, the Equipment World team raises funds for a variety of charities. In 2012, the company’s three locations rallied in support of a colleague, whose son has a rare genetic disorder called MeCP2 duplication syndrome. They held fundraiser barbeques on the same day and raised $17,000 for the Rett Syndrome Foundation that is researching ways to improve the quality of life for children and adults with the disorder.
When the decision was made to donate to the ECC Campaign, Equipment World’s employees were invited to tour the Cancer Centre, and 10 people came out. According to Lyle, they were very impressed with the amount of technology in the centre and the diagnostics and preparations for treatments that go on behind the scenes. “We learned patients don’t just go to the clinic to be treated.”
They also learned about the value of having cancer care here at home. “I’ve heard about people who have gone away to larger cancer centres with the belief that their treatment would be better – just to find out it wasn’t as personal,” says Lyle. “It was more of a mass production feel versus treatment here, which is not only highly technical and leading-edge, but also very personalized.”
