Bethesda Foundation donates heated chairs for cancer patients

The Bethesda Foundation has donated new heated chairs to add extra comfort for cancer patients.

The Steinbach non-profit donated $17,191 to Southern Health Cancer Care Centre to purchase four heated treatment chairs for patients who require chemotherapy or immunotherapy.

Dr. Curtis Krahn, who specializes in cancer care, welcomed the new chairs and said the heat helps make the uncomfortable process of cancer treatment more tolerable.

“It’s almost the same as if you’re sitting in your SUV and it’s -25 C outside, and you just feel kind of chilly, and it makes you feel so much better, and you’ve got that warm, toasty seat,” he told The Carillon.

Krahn said some cancer patients struggle with regulating their temperature while going through treatment due to either illnesses or losing weight. Patients often don’t eat as much which quickens the weight and warmth loss.

Before the heated chairs arrived, hospital staff would offer heated blankets to cold patients. But those blankets would only stay warm for 10 minutes compared to the constant heat from the chairs.

“You can probably imagine what it would be like if you had lost a quarter of your body weight, and you felt really sick, and you just felt unwell for a bunch of reasons. And now instead of sitting in a cold chair and you’re shivering and you’re waiting for a warm blanket, you can actually turn up the heat and just get yourself comfortable,” Krahn said.

While many patients are uncomfortable, some don’t ask for the extra help, he said. Since the chairs can be fully operated by whoever is sitting in them, it gives patients autonomy and control in addressing their needs.

“They may not be asking for things anymore because they don’t need to ask if they need something. They can actually have it just with a little control that they can handle themselves,” Krahn said.

The new chairs also fully recline, which adds both patient comfort and easy accessibility for health-care workers if additional treatment or CPR is needed.

Krahn said patients’ length of stay in the chairs can range from 15 minutes for routine tests to six hours of chemotherapy. Patients have already started using the chairs since they arrived in Fall 2025.

Patients have already been sending positive reports about the chairs since being installed, Krahn said. Having four chairs is an ideal number because not all patients need or want the extra heat, he noted.

Chris Goertzen, chair of the Bethesda Foundation, said small investments, such as the heated chairs, can make an important difference for patients.

“We’re very pleased to provide the funding for these chairs that will make their (patients’) life a little bit more comfortable as they go on their healing journey,” he said.

The charity has a list of priorities for purchasing new equipment to improve hospital experience and the chairs have been on the list.