Over the last four years, Fisher Engineering has honored Breast Cancer Awareness Month by selling limited-edition Pink FISHER plows and hosting a raffle, donating a portion of the proceeds from these initiatives to MaineHealth Pen Bay and Waldo Hospitals to support breast cancer care.

Last year, Fisher Engineering donated $22,225 to the hospitals through the annual Pink Plow Promotion, according to MaineHealth, in a news release. Shortly after, the company teamed up with Wiscasset Speedway, where two Fisher employees participate in races, to raffle off one of the pink plows, raising an additional $3,480. Over the past 19 years, Fisher Engineering has generously contributed $140,000 to support patients and the care they receive at both hospitals.

“We are incredibly grateful for Fisher Engineering’s longstanding support," said Anna Dugal, leadership gift officer at MaineHealth Pen Bay and Waldo Hospitals. "Sustained generosity like this plays a critical role in advancing patient care and enhancing services for our community.” 

Notably, this donation marks the first contribution toward acquiring a new state-of-the-art surgical guidance platform at Waldo and Pen Bay hospitals, which will transform breast cancer care in the midcoast region by enhancing patient experience, improving surgical precision and providing peace of mind for patients and families, according to MaineHealth.

“The Pink FISHER Plow Promotion reflects the compassion and dedication of our employees and the support of our customers and partners,” said Jennifer Andrews, director of human resources at Fisher Engineering. “For nearly two decades, this initiative has allowed us to give back in a meaningful way, and we’re proud that this year’s donation will help bring cutting-edge technology to support breast cancer care, enhancing the experience for patients and families in our community.”

Breast lumpectomy procedures traditionally rely on wire localization, which requires a patient to visit the mammography department on the day of surgery to have a wire placed into the breast to mark the exact location of the mass. The patient then travels from mammography to the operating room, where the surgeon removes the tissue at the end of the wire to excise the mass.

"This process often results in long days for patients and requires complex coordination among surgeons, radiology staff, the operating room and the broader care team," said MaineHealth.

The new technology will provide an “all-in-one” breast surgery solution, transforming how surgeons locate and remove tumors and lymph nodes using a tiny, magnetic “seed” placed before surgery. It enables precise localization of tumors and lymph nodes, allowing for staging and removal in a single procedure.

This technology offers multiple advantages for both patients and care teams. Flexible scheduling allows the magnetic “seed” to be placed days before the surgery, eliminating the need for same-day localization. Coordination among departments will be streamlined, reducing scheduling challenges and resulting in less stressful surgical days. Patients will benefit from an advanced method that eliminates wire localization and, when a sentinel lymph node biopsy is needed, it provides a non-radioactive alternative to traditional nuclear medicine, allowing surgeons to identify and remove sentinel lymph nodes using the same magnetic platform.

“We believe that breast cancer patients in our region deserve the very best care—care that is compassionate, efficient and guided by the latest technology,” said Amy McNaughton, director of philanthropic initiatives at MaineHealth Pen Bay and Waldo Hospitals. “We are deeply grateful to Fisher Engineering for their commitment to improving breast cancer care in our community.”

For more information about supporting this initiative please contact Amy McNaughton by email at Amy.McNaughton@mainehealth.org or Anna Dugal by email at Anna.Dugal@mainehealth.org

MaineHealth is a not-for-profit, integrated health system whose vision is, “Working together so our communities are the healthiest in America,” and is committed to a mission of providing high-quality affordable care, educating tomorrow's caregivers and researching better ways to provide care. MaineHealth includes a Level 1 trauma medical center, eight additional licensed hospitals, comprehensive pediatric care services, an extensive behavioral health care network, diagnostic services as well as home health, hospice and senior care services. With more than 2,000 employed providers and approximately 23,000 care team members, MaineHealth provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. MaineHealth hospitals include MaineHealth Behavioral Health at Spring Harbor in Westbrook, MaineHealth Franklin Hospital in Farmington, MaineHealth Lincoln Hospital in Damariscotta, MaineHealth Maine Medical Center in Portland, Biddeford and Sanford, MaineHealth Memorial Hospital in North Conway, N.H., MaineHealth Mid Coast Hospital in Brunswick, MaineHealth Pen Bay Hospital in Rockport, MaineHealth Stephens Hospital in Norway and MaineHealth Waldo Hospital in Belfast. MaineHealth also includes the MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital in Portland, MaineHealth Behavioral Health in Westbrook, MaineHealth Home Health and Hospice in Saco, the MaineHealth Institute for Research in Scarborough, the MaineHealth Medical Group and MaineHealth NorDx in Scarborough. MaineHealth affiliates include MaineGeneral Health in Augusta and Waterville. It is also a significant stakeholder in the MaineHealth Accountable Care Organization in Portland and a joint venture partner in the New England Rehabilitation Hospital in Portland.