Do you feel enough is being done to address medical waitlist times in B.C.?

Poll: Medical waitlist times

Photo: Pixabay

Medical wait lists in B.C. cause for concern for Penticton-Summerland MLA

A B.C. woman battling cancer took to the steps of the legislature in Victoria this week alongside an Okanagan Member of Parliament, sharing her story of a being a victim of long doctor wait lists.

On Wednesday, Sara Gillooly spoke about her terminal metastatic breast cancer, and how she believes delays in the B.C. medical system may have contributed to it being too late.

She first began seeking medical help in May 2025 when she had been feeling unwell for months.

"Something wasn’t right. I finally decided it was time to act," Gillooly said.

She soon discovered a large lump in her breast, and went to the ER. Bloodwork and testing progressed, but it seemed to all be going very slowly.

"Did I have cancer? Why was everything taking weeks? Could this not be processed faster?" she thought at the time.

Finally, in July, cancer was confirmed, and a recommended course of treatment was surgery, without further tests. But while the surgery was successful, her oncologist appointment was not until two months later. Still, she trusted the system.

In September, scans she had requested but had been diisuaded from pursuing in the summer, including PET, MRI and CT, revealed the disease in her bones and lungs.

"Would those months have made a difference? If these tests had been done in July instead of October, would my prognosis be different? Would my children have more time with me?" Sara asked poignantly. "I did everything I was told. I waited. I trusted. I advocated. And still, I wonder how many steps could have happened sooner," she said.

Penticton-Summerland MLA Amelia Boultbee stood with Gillooly, a longtime friend, at the press conference, calling for change.

"People with serious diseases requiring immediate attention are falling through the cracks. Sara waited months for critical diagnostics and treatment, only to learn that her cancer had spread beyond recovery. This is a tragedy that could have been prevented with timely care," she said.

Read more

Have an opinion? Send it to [email protected]