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Beedie helps new medical procedure
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Dr. John Warner holds up the laser probe - the business end of the holmium laser machine that was bought to treat kidney stones but then used to successfully remove a cancer.
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A new medical procedure - first performed by Burnaby General Hospital urologist Dr. John Warner - was made possible recently through a donation from the Keith and Betty Beedie Foundation.
The Beedie Foundation was set up - and is still being run - by ICBA founding member Keith Beedie of Beedie Construction Co. Ltd. He started the registered charitable society with a $1 million donation in 1993.
"Hospitals have probably been the main beneficiary of our funding," Mr. Beedie says, although he adds other major areas of interest include university students, sports organizations and crime prevention.
While dealing with a bout of prostate cancer, Mr. Beedie got to know Dr. Warner well. And it was during a phone conversation that the seeds of the new medical procedure were sown.
"He sounded particularly uptight," Mr. Beedie recalls, "and he told me he was frustrated at having to send a patient into Vancouver because he didn't have the proper equipment in Burnaby to perform a difficult kidney-stone operation.
"I asked what it would cost for the holmium laser machine he wanted, and he replied about $65,000. Actually, it turned out to be about $130,000 but the hospital talked the Woodward's Foundation into donating the other half." Soon after the new machine arrived, Dr. Warner operated on a patient with a rare type of cancer on his urinary tract wall that he realized could be treated with this laser.
Following the successful cancer removal, research failed to uncover any other cases of similar procedures, so Dr. Warner wrote up his experiences and has sent the information to the Journal of Urology.
Mr. Beedie is particularly proud of that accomplishment, but also recounts many other examples of donations that have helped such varied organizations as the Vancouver police and the RCMP (top-of-the-line bicycles for use on street patrols), several schools and universities (e.g. carpentry scholarships at BCIT), and seed money to establish Burnaby Kidsports (helping under-privileged children receive sports equipment to enable them to join in).
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| Betty and Keith Beedie (left) join Dr. W. Ibbott from the Woodward's Foundation in presenting a cheque to Dr. Warner (right) to purchase the new laser machine that was used in a new medical procedure at Burnaby General Hospital. |
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Other organizations have also benefited, such as Foster Parents Canada, Amnesty International, the St. John Ambulance, and the Burnaby fire fighters, to name a few.
Also a point of pride is that "every single penny we receive in donations goes out to these causes - my secretary and I look after the work involved and don't take a cent out for expenses."
Most donations are from his company's own 80-odd employees and, while he does not spend anything on promotion, he welcomes any donations, all of which will receive tax receipts.
To donate, call Keith Beedie at Beedie Construction: 604-435-3321.
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