When a cancer diagnosis touches someone’s life, everything changes. Life almost stands still. And eventually, it can inspire us to give back. That was the experience for Dr. Brace and his team at Guelph Facial Plastics, who rallied six local clinics in support of breast cancer care at Grand River Hospital this past fall. 

Four years ago, in 2019, Dr. Brace’s mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. After her initial surgery at Guelph General Hospital, she was referred to Grand River Hospital, where she received the rest of her treatment — and, her exceptional experience ultimately became the inspiration for the Beauty for Hope campaign. 

“She really loved the team at the Grand River Hospital and the care that she received,” says Dr. Brace. “She felt really cared for. She felt that if she had a concern she could get a hold of her oncologist. She was supported by the nurses when she was there for the radiation treatments … She’s four years out now and [there’s been] no recurrence, so she’s doing well. But watching from the outside I was just really impressed, and I wanted to support [the Hospital].”

So, for Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October 2020, Dr. Brace and Kate, Guelph Facial Plastics’ clinic manager, spearheaded their first fundraising effort in support of the Waterloo Wellington Breast Centre at Grand River Hospital. In partnership with one of their suppliers, Galderma, who donated their products for the fundraiser, the Guelph Facial Plastics team donated 50 per cent of proceeds from Dysport treatments, and together they raised $3,000 for breast cancer care.

The following year, their campaign was even more successful, raising $4,185. So, in 2023, Kate and Dr. Brace decided to set their sights higher, working together with their local medical aesthetic colleagues to get more people from the community involved and increase their impact.

One in eight women in Canada will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, and in 2023 alone, 14,424 patients from our communities visited the Waterloo Wellington Breast Centre at Grand River Hospital. And, with so many people having been touched by their own experiences with breast cancer, there are also so many who are eager to help and give back. 

And, led by Dr. Brace, Kate, and the team at Guelph Facial Plastics in collaboration with Guelph Skin Clinic, Luminosity Studios, Derma Skin Institute, Guelph Medical Laser, and ArtMed, the Beauty for Hope campaign raised more than $17,000 for breast cancer care at the Hospital in 2023. Together, their generous support is making it possible to fund the equipment, tools, and resources our teams need to provide exceptional care, helping keep cancer care close to home for all who need it. 

“The care my mom got was excellent,” explains Dr. Brace, “and I want to ensure that that can continue with adequate funding and be improved — so that if there’s a new technology or a new advancement for breast cancer care, the Hospital would have funding to be able to provide that to patients.”

Beauty for Hope will return again this coming October in support of the Waterloo Wellington Breast Centre at Grand River Hospital. And, the team at Guelph Facial Plastics is excited to be opening up participation to organizations across local regions and beyond. 

“The word I would use is just proud,” Kate says when asked about her involvement in leading the Beauty for Hope. “I’m just so honoured that I could work for a company like Guelph Facial Plastics that gives back to the community and that I was able to be a part of this campaign — and that it turned out better than I think any one of us could have expected. We were blown away by the final number.”

As for Dr. Brace, he is delighted by how the community came together in support of the campaign and the difference he knows it makes for families just like his.

“Every time I tell my mom how much was raised, she gets teary and gives me a big hug and says thank you. And so, it feels good. It feels like we did something impactful for someone else’s mom, for someone else’s spouse, for someone else’s sister [or] daughter … I feel proud of that, and [I’m] really happy that we did that.”

To learn more about the Beauty for Hope campaign, visit the Guelph Facial Plastics website. Local organizations that are interested in participating in this year's Beauty for Hope campaign can also reach out to Kate directly at kate@facialplastics.ca. 

And, if you’re inspired to give back to Grand River Hospital, you can visit our website and download our community champion toolkit to learn how you can host your own community fundraiser in support of the care that matters to you most.