Memorial Service, Love Light Tree, Cardiac Catheterization Lab Open House Planned (December 2, 2003)

(Marinette, Wis.) –The public is invited to remember loved ones and celebrate a new beginning with Bay Area Medical Center on Sunday, December 7. A memorial service, the 15th annual Love Light Ceremony, and the opening of the new Cardiac Catheterization Lab are planned.

Chaplain Craig Mansur will conduct the memorial service at 2 p.m. honoring the memory of loved ones who have died at Bay Area Medical Center in recent months. The Service will be held in the BAMC Chapel, located on the second floor of the Marinette facility, 3100 Shore Drive.

The public is also invited to tour the new Cardiac Catheterization Lab from 3:00 - 5:30 p.m. on the second floor of BAMC. This open house celebrates the newly created lab that will allow cardiologists to study x-ray moving pictures to see if heart valves are normal, to check how well the heart is pumping and to look for possible blockages in the coronary arteries. In Marinette County alone, over 280 deaths a year are directly related to cardiovascular disease. BAMC plans to combat this problem with cardiac catheterization - the most accurate way to gather information to diagnose and treat heart problems.

Then, at 4:30 p.m., a formal ceremony will be held in the Center for Outpatient Services lobby featuring the lighting of the Love Light Tree and local entertainment. Lights were purchased for the Love Light Tree in memory of loved ones who have lost the battle with cancer, or those currently fighting the illness. Lights were also purchased in memory of those who have suffered any illness.

The lights will be displayed on the Love Light Tree in Marinette and atop the Menominee facility, and names will be published in a holiday insert in the EagleHerald. The Love Light Tree is sponsored by the BAMC Auxiliary and proceeds are donated to the BAMC Oncology Fund, which has been used to purchase pain medication, updated equipment for diagnosis and treatment in the Cancer Care Center, and items to provide comfort to cancer patients at home.