• Tell a friend about
• Create a page like this
• Please bookmark this page.

Two friendships, an inheritance and a deep desire to improve outcomes for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer are behind the Carol Lalonde/Marlene Palmer Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. It was established in 2018 with a $250,000 donation from Patricia Pitts, part of her inheritance from her aunt Una Ferguson, who knew both Carol and Marlene.

The fund will assist BC Cancer scientists in their quest to reduce death and suffering from reproductive cancers. Patricia met Marlene in 1980 when they were both young reporters at Victoria’s CHEK-TV. She met Carol Lalonde in 1998 when both were on the board of Craigdarroch Castle. Both friendships were deep and enduring.

While Marlene and Carol had only met a few times prior to their cancer diagnoses, they supported each other throughout their treatment. While assisting both her friends, Patricia realized that more than love and care is needed to fight this pernicious disease whose survival rates have not improved in decades. Patricia hopes the fund will be a legacy to both her late friends and an impetus for better treatment and earlier diagnosis.