25th annual Light Up a Life campaign underway at Northumberland Hills Hospital

It’s a sign that the holiday season is upon us. The 25th annual Light Up a Life campaign kicked off at Northumberland Hills Hospital (NHH) in Cobourg, Ont., on Tuesday.

This year, the NHH Foundation aims to raise $150,000 to help purchase new surgical scopes, including gastroscopes, colonoscopes and flexible fibre optic scopes, to name a few.

“A huge part of my practice is performing endoscopic procedures, things like colonoscopies and gastroscopies,” said Dr. Alison Tilley, a surgeon at the hospital and this year’s chair of the campaign. “It’s a huge part of general surgery here at Northumberland Hills Hospital.”

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Dr. Tilley joined NHH in 2016. She says advancements in surgical technologies are showing dramatic results in patient recovery.

“New technology helps us see better. It can help us alter what we do and give us better surgical results,” Dr. Tilley said. “All these techniques mean easier recovery for our patients. They aren’t in hospital as long. They have less pain and even fewer complications.”

Since the campaign started in 1993, more than $2.5 million has been raised for the foundation, which purchases new equipment for the hospital which has included new beds, anesthetic machines and surgical scopes.

“The government does not fund medical equipment. Our goal is to get the community to support the hospital that supports them. The community is very generous,” said Adrienne Burns, leadership gifts officer for the foundation.

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In addition to taking donations, there are events that help support the campaign, including the Reindeer Run/Walk on Dec. 1 and Family Christmas at the Spry Christmas Tree Farm on Dec. 8.

The campaign runs into February.