Husband of Former Patient Gifts $1 Million to Victoria Hospitals Foundation in Memory of Late Wife
The Victoria Hospitals Foundation is touched to receive a $1 million gift from Alex Miller, in honour of his late wife, Betty. The generous donation will benefit medical imaging, specifically the Foundation’s $11 million Imaging is Power campaign, which is modernizing and replacing six vital pieces of imaging equipment at Royal Jubilee (RJH) and Victoria General (VGH) hospitals. Both Alex and Betty received care at RJH, and after Betty’s passing in 2021, Alex wanted to give back in her memory.
“Throughout her life, Betty was a committed friend and participant in her community from Regina, Saskatchewan, Calgary, Alberta, and Edinburgh, Scotland to Brackendale, BC and, of course, Victoria. As a Deacon at Christ Church Cathedral, helping and serving others was deeply important to her” says Alex Miller, Betty’s husband, and supporter of the Victoria Hospitals Foundation. “Since Betty was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2017, and passed away from the disease in 2021, myself and other loved ones have increasingly recognized the critical importance of medical imaging in early disease detection. This gift is a continuation of Betty’s commitment to serving others; I know that it will make a difference to people’s lives and will help many for years to come.”
Miller’s touching $1 million gift to support medical imaging has pushed the Imaging is Power campaign past a new milestone of $8 million. Through the campaign, three MRIs are being modernized at RJH and VGH, using a first-in-Canada approach. Additionally, a new CT scanner is being purchased for VGH, a new SPECT/CT scanner for RJH, and a new C-Arm will be installed in the Heart Catheterization Lab at RJH. Both hospitals are the referral sites for advanced healthcare for all Vancouver Islanders; more than 500 scheduled scans are performed between the two sites each day.
“This gift has given us much to be grateful for. We are humbled to know that Imaging is Power’s mission touched Alex in such a way that he wanted to share Betty’s life story with the Foundation, and that he trusted us with this momentous gift,” says Avery Brohman, Chief Executive Officer, Victoria Hospitals Foundation. “The gift is not only building a strong foundation for the next decade of imaging at our Victoria hospitals, it will also support the healthcare needs of thousands of Vancouver Islanders, well into the future. Donations like this help fuel a sense of pride and hope in our community—what a special gift it is, to enable care teams in our hospitals to continue to provide life-saving work.”
Miller joins more than 4,400 other donors who have supported Imaging is Power, as it moves closer to its $11 million goal. He hopes this gift in honour of Betty’s life will inspire others to give what they are able in support of the hospitals and care teams that are there for so many when they need them most.
“On behalf of our imaging teams, I offer my profound thanks to Alex Miller for supporting our work through Imaging is Power,” says Dr. Alan Andrew, radiologist and Medical Director, Island Health Medical Imaging. “A gift like Alex Miller’s helps us serve our Vancouver Island patients with the most advanced technology available. This will directly improve timely access to critical advanced medical imaging tests. Our community is all the better from this generous donation.”
