Mr. Tom MacNeil

Cape Breton University is pleased to recognize Mr. Tom MacNeil for his dedication and commitment to his community and the well-being of cancer patients throughout Cape Breton. For more than 27 years, Mr. MacNeil was a social worker with Nova Scotia Health. He was the principal social worker for the Cape Breton Cancer Centre since its inception in 1998.

Over Mr. MacNeil’s career of nearly three decades, he has been recognized by patients and staff of the Cape Breton Regional Hospital and the Cancer Centre as a tireless proponent, ensuring cancer patients and their families had the proper supports and necessary resources required to make sure their journey was as smooth as possible during difficult times.

As a social worker, Mr. MacNeil knows better than most that a cancer diagnosis can often place individuals and families into financial difficulty. Mr. MacNeil has always been upfront in addressing the fact that no one is immune to cancer and it doesn’t take much to disrupt our economic equilibrium. Many people suffer job loss when cancer strikes and unexpected bills they didn’t have to account for before. This was the foundation for creating the Cancer Patient Care Fund in 2005.

Mr. MacNeil created the Cancer Patient Care Fund with the goal of providing financial relief for those battling cancer locally. For the first two years, Mr. MacNeil raised money by himself before joining forces with the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation in 2007. The Foundation then managed the fund while helping to raise much-needed additional dollars. Today, the Cancer Patient Care Fund supports 60-70 cancer patients per month, helping to cover the costs of travel, home bills, groceries, psychological support programs and counselling, among other necessities.

From a small and humble beginning a desire to help, he inspired a legacy of giving that continues to live on strong and proud throughout the Cape Breton community. Mr. MacNeil has been admired by those he has worked with and adored by the thousands of patients he helped support. He has been described as a true champion of the people.

Mr. MacNeil retired in 2021. Following his retirement, the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation appropriately renamed the Cancer Patient Care Fund to the Tom MacNeil Cancer Patient Care Fund, ensuring the legacy of Mr. MacNeil’s hard work, dedication and selflessness lives on in the community.

Congratulations, Mr. MacNeil.