Woman fighting cancer blasts B.C. premier and health minister over comments

A woman from the Kootenays says she’s angry after recent comments from the premier and health minister “bragging” about improvements to cancer care in B.C.

Peggy Simons says both she and her daughter have been fighting the disease, and she argues that people living outside of major centres deserve more.

Simons felt compelled to reach out to CityNews after Premier David Eby touted new radiation treatment centres being built in Kamloops and Victoria, along with additional provincial funding for the Hope Air service to help people in rural and remote communities travel for treatment.

“I actually felt that we have been very well-treated, the two of us, in terms of getting a diagnosis, feeling like we are well-served with the latest research and good, competent, and caring healthcare providers, but there are flaws in the system that make things very difficult,” Simons said.

“The government talks about things they are doing to help and it seems like a lot of lip service that doesn’t really help.”

Simons argues that new treatment centres will not make care more convenient for people in other parts of the province.

“Adding radiation services in Nanaimo, which is only two hours away from Victoria’s services, and adding radiation services to Kamloops, which is only two hours away from services already in Kelowna — we are seven hours from Kelowna,” she explained.

“Radiation services could be added, I would hope, to Cranbrook and that would shorten the trip for anybody in the East Kootenay area. That could possibly make it so they could go and come home on the same day for radiation treatment and not be out of their home and need to find accommodation. The solutions that are being proposed are not helping us.”

Simons was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2022 and received chemotherapy treatments an hour’s drive away in Cranbrook but had to travel to Vancouver for surgery in November of that year.

Simons’ daughter was diagnosed with a cancerous brain tumour earlier this year and has required tests and radiation treatment in Kelowna, which is either an eight-hour drive to the Okanagan, or a drive to Cranbrook and then connecting flights through Calgary or Vancouver to Kelowna.

“Thank goodness for a local, volunteer-operated charity, Angel Flights Kootenay. She was able to fly Cranbrook to Kelowna on their small plane with volunteer pilots to go in and out of Kelowna on the same day for tests,” Simons said.

But for radiation treatment, her daughter had to drive and then find accommodation for three weeks in Kelowna.

“Again, thank goodness for the Cancer Society Cancer Lodges, but they cannot take in everyone who needs accommodation. Finding reasonable accommodation in Kelowna can be a challenge given its popularity as a tourist destination,” she added.

“They talk about Hope Air, which seems to me to be a compassionate discount for commercial flights, which there aren’t many options for us to Kelowna for radiation treatment. The government talks about helping with the expense but when you actually try to access the services, they’re just not there for you.”

Simons also worries about the shortage of family doctors in B.C., crediting their long-time physician with being “instrumental” in getting their prompt diagnoses and treatments.

“Others don’t have that support. And I know people who have had a family doctor and lost him or her due to retirement or leaving the profession. I don’t want to think about that scenario.”

Simons is grateful for the care they have received and feels they are lucky to have a strong family and community support system, but she says the province needs to do better.

“I feel I was well-treated, but it was pretty much in spite of the system.”