Angela Thomson has used the Georgian Bay Cancer Support Centre’s GAP (gas, accommodations and parking) Fund to help ease the stress of finances while dealing with a cancer diagnosis she received in 2022.
Thomson is one of 34 individuals who have used the fund since it was started in 2019, first established through a donation from Brian and Anita Millett. The fund is designed to support people fighting cancer through paying for transportation, parking and overnight accommodations near hospitals. Thanks to a recent donation from the Millett family, starting this month and for the rest of the year, all donations made into the fund will be matched, up to $21,000.
“It’s brought my stress level down a lot,” said Thomson in a release. “With my trips back and forth to Barrie, it helped me with gas and everything else at the time.”
The Georgian Bay Cancer Support Centre in Penetanguishene serves cancer patients across Georgian Bay and beyond. The program expanded into Collingwood earlier this year, to offer support group programming for people fighting cancer and their caregivers. Currently, the centre supports 332 active members. The organization receives no direct government funding, and relies solely on donations.
More than two in five Canadians are expected to be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime.
Following his own cancer diagnosis, Brian Millett felt fortunate to be able to afford to travel to Toronto five days a week for his cancer treatment. While his treatment was successful, the experience led to Millett and his wife Anita establishing the GAP program to mark their 60th wedding anniversary to make sure others wouldn’t have to face financial hardship.
“We know what it’s like facing those costs to get treatments,” noted Millett earlier in 2023 according to a release. “We set up this fund to help other people.”
On June 26, 2023, Millett died. The Georgian Bay Cancer Support Centre’s board of directors recently passed a motion to officially dedicate the fund as the Brian and Anita Millett GAP Fund in his honour.
The Brian and Anita Millett GAP Fund has distributed $11,019.18 so far in 2024, and $15,723.79 in 2023.
For more information on the Brian and Anita Millett GAP Fund or to donate to the fund, click here.
