1. Tuesday March 3 2015 The Surrey-North Delta Leader 3
STEPH TROUGHTON
In Canada, spies are not just working for
the Canadian Security Intelligence Service.
Surgeons are using SPY imaging tech-
nology for breast cancer patients facing
reconstructive surgery.
The relatively new system is showing
such positive signs of success that the
Surrey Hospital and Outpatient Centre
Foundation is actively fundraising for it
and has almost achieved its target.
“The imaging device costs $350,000 and
we only need another $15,500 of the goal,”
says foundation president and CEO Jane
Adams. “I just know there is a local hero
out there.”
She explains the tech-
nology provides instant
images of the breast tissue
during surgery.
“These (the images) can
show potential healing
problems, enabling the
surgeon to take immediate
steps to prevent post-sur-
gery complications,” says
Adams.
Every month, 650
patients, who are mostly
women, visit the Breast
Health Clinic at the Jim
Pattison Outpatient Care
and Surgery Centre in Sur-
rey. The clinic dramatically
speeds up the process for
diagnosing suspicious
masses which show up in
routine mammographies.
“At the Jim Pattison
Centre, everything is done
on the same day,” said
Adams.
Almost half from that
group will end up having
mastectomies which are
often followed by recon-
structive surgery.
“We do more recon-
structive surgery than
any other centre in the
province,” Adams says.
Because the SPY imag-
ing system allows sur-
geons to see actual blood
flow between the patient’s
abdominal flap and breast
skin flaps, it improves
the success rate of the
reconstructive surgery, as
mastectomy flap necrosis
is far less likely to happen.
Necrosis occurs when
the skin left behind after
surgery ends up dying because it does not
receive adequate blood flow.
According to Adams, the SPY technology
can reduce breast surgical reconstruction
failure rates to less than two per cent,
which is 11 per cent lower than the Fraser
Health Authority average and 16 per cent
lower than the provincial average.
The SPY imaging system involves sur-
geons injecting a safe fluorescent dye into
the body at the start of reconstructive
surgery.
A laser within the SPY system follows
the dye, sending the surgeon high-quality
images of blood flow within vessels, tissue
and organs. The images allow surgeons to
ensure there is a healthy blood flow cir-
culating to the breast mound so they can
precisely reattach blood vessels as well as
the breast skin flaps.
“It’s (the technology) so dramatic in
what it can do for patients,” says Adams.
To make a donation to the project, visit
https://championsforcare.com/donate
STEPH TROUGHTON
In some parts of the world,
shoeless children are not allowed
to attend school.
That’s why insurance bro-
kers and entrepreneurs Kelly
Strongitharm and Desiree Dupuis
decided to add a second almost
full-time job to their already busy
schedules and establish Ruben’s
Shoes.
Named after a young boy living
in the Dominican Republic,
Ruben’s Shoes is a charitable
drive that was started in 2013 by
Strongitharm, who was sponsor-
ing Ruben through World Vision
Canada. To date, the campaign
has shipped 24,000 pairs of
shoes to the Dominican Repub-
lic, and this summer a shipment
of 10,000 pairs is scheduled for
Ebola-ravaged Sierra Leone.
Dupuis and Strongitharm will
be sharing their female-driven
success story at the inaugural
conference of SheTalks this week-
end in Surrey.
Dupuis, who
acknowledges
males are still
more prevalent
in the entrepre-
neurial world
than females,
says the one
fact she hopes
listeners will
take away from
her Ruben’s
Shoes presenta-
tion is confi-
dence.
“I really hope
women feel inspired and em-
powered to follow what’s in their
hearts,” she says.
To be held March 7, one day be-
fore International Women’s Day,
at Chandos Pattison Auditorium
in North Surrey, SheTalks brings
together 15 female speakers with
backgrounds ranging from life
coach to city councillor.
Other speakers include con-
ference founder Natasha Raey,
author Megan Williams, You
Glow Girl founder Diane Taylor,
Sole Girls head coach Ashley
Wiles, Monika Hibbs, Amplify
Governance co-founder Bethany
Borody, political activist Jodie
Emery, blogger Jamie Dunlop
Khau, Ladies Who Lunch founder
Maria Kritikos, former Surrey
city councillor Barinder Rasode,
Broadbent Institute director Mira
Oreck, coach Tetyana Golota,
Dominion Lending Centres CEO
Diana Zitko, Lunapads co-found-
er Madeleine Shaw, fitness mod-
el/nurse Harpreet Pandher and
lawyer Gurpreet Gill.
Their eight-minute talks will
cover a variety of life and career
experiences, educational back-
grounds and world views.
“I’ve always been amazed by all
the things women do,” said Raey,
who came up with the all-female
conference concept last spring.
“I never considered myself a
feminist, but I guess lately, I’ve
realized I am. So I wanted to
create an opportunity for women
to share their stories, especially
some women who have never
shared their stories before.”
Conference tickets are $40 (or
$25 for students). All proceeds
will go toward the SheTalks schol-
arship created in conjunction
with Simon Fraser University.
To learn more or to register,
visit http://shetalksyvr.ca/#home
Empowering
women
Insurance brokers Kelly Strongitharm and Desiree Dupuis founded the charity Ruben’s Shoes, named for a
boy (left) in the Dominican Republic. The women will be among 15 females sharing their stories at SheTalks
March 7. PHOTOS SUBMITTED
▼ SURREY HOSPITAL
AND OUTPATIENT CENTRE
FOUNDATION FUNDRAISING
FOR IMAGING DEVICE
▼ RUBEN’S SHOES FOUNDERS AMONG
SPEAKERS AT FIRST-EVER SHE TALKS
CONFERENCE IN SURREY
SPY technology to help breast cancer patients
The SPY imaging system can
greatly improve the success
rates of breast reconstruction
surgery following cancer.
Man found dead in North Surrey vehicle
KEVIN DIAKIW
Homicide investigators
have now taken over the
investigation of a body
found in a vehicle in North
Surrey.
On Friday (Feb. 27), at
9:50 a.m., Surrey RCMP
received a call from emer-
gency responders about an
unresponsive person in a
vehicle in the 9500-block
of 139 Street.
When police arrived,
they found a man dead in a
white Ford SUV.
The cause of death and
the identity of the deceased
were not made public as of
Monday morning.
Early Friday afternoon,
the Integrated Homicide
Investigation Team (IHIT)
took over the investigation.
It’s the second homicide
investigation in Surrey this
year.
The first involved the
suspicious death of a three-
year-old girl on Feb. 11.
The parents say the tot
slipped off a plastic tub she
was using to reach the sink
and smashed her head on
the floor.
IHIT is still investigating
that file and is still classify-
ing it as a suspicious death.
Anyone who has infor-
mation about the most
recent death is asked to call
the IHIT tip line at 1-877-
551-IHIT(4448) or email
ihittipline@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
If you wish to remain
anonymous, go to solve
crime.ca or phone 1-800-
222-8477.
▶ BODY DISCOVERED
IN A WHITE FORD SUV
ON FRIDAY