Article originally published in the North Shore News in May 2023.
Dianne Griffith and her husband, Ken, regularly donate to the BC Cancer Foundation. Now, they’re adding the Foundation to their estate plans as another way of giving back.
As life circumstances evolve and change, it’s crucial to review estate plans to ensure they remain informed and relevant. West Vancouver’s Dianne Griffith and her husband, Ken, are doing just that — due to both their growing family and a life-changing cancer diagnosis.
Moving to Vancouver together in 1970, the couple have been married for 55 years. Together, they raised their two children — now adults with their own children — and owned two dealerships in the Richmond Auto Mall. Now, they’re enjoying their retirement and the time they get to spend with their grandchildren.
Initially, the couple’s estate plans primarily focused on supporting their children should anything unexpected happen to them.
“But our children are older and self-sufficient now. They have their own businesses and don’t need us like they did when they were in their 20s and just starting out,” says Dianne. “I think that as children get older, parents can look at that and think about what other donations they can make.”
The BC Cancer Foundation was a natural place for Dianne and Ken to start.
“BC Cancer has been in our lives for over nine years,” says Dianne, who faced her first breast cancer diagnosis in 2014 and underwent a lumpectomy and radiation treatment.
In 2021, she received her second breast cancer diagnosis. This time it was triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive form of cancer requiring an intensive treatment plan. She’s since undergone surgery and chemotherapy at BC Cancer and in Palm Desert, where she spends part of the year.
“My oncologists in B.C. and California regularly spoke to each other, and the treatments were identical for anyone comparing the care we have here,” she notes.
Dianne is grateful not only for the treatments she received but the kindness of the many BC Cancer staff she has met throughout her journey.
“The staff at BC Cancer are incredible. It’s really good to know there are people in research, in the hospitals, everywhere, who are looking out for you,” she says. “When I left my final treatment, my chemo nurse said, ‘I hope I never see you again,’ and I think that was just about the nicest thing anybody has ever said to me.”
While Dianne and Ken regularly donate to the Foundation, incorporating it into their estate plans was another way to give back to the dedicated BC Cancer team, while also supporting future patients needing world-class care.
As the fundraising partner to BC Cancer, every dollar raised advances breakthroughs and innovations across BC Cancer’s research programs and six regional centres. Learn how you can help by leaving a gift in your will.
