Empowering Patients Through Compassionate, Comprehensive Care, at Every Step of the Cancer Journey
By MMartin
Loveena Chera is an innovative, passionate leader and seasoned executive with extensive experience in corporate and non-profit environments. As the CEO of InspireHealth Supportive Cancer Care, she is respected and admired for steering the organization through challenging times like the pandemic and the transformative growth period of the last several years.
After immigrating from India at age four, Loveena grew up in Richmond, BC, and attended Simon Fraser University, where she studied communications and psychology. She was a stockbroker for five years and then went on to various senior executive marketing and business roles at high-profile companies such as Future Shop, Best Buy, and London Drugs.
She had to learn “on her feet” while managing extensive portfolios, including Best Buy’s gaming, music, and movie divisions. At the time, she was one of the only women on the business leadership team, and she says it was an opportunity to ensure that people understood the importance of flexibility in the workplace. She was also a mom of two young children, managing extensive travel and a heavy workload.
“I tried to ensure that these organizations understood how to create an inclusive environment where women could flourish,” she says. “Focusing on her desire to support women in the workplace, she founded one of the first mentorship programs for women at the organization. “I think that fills me up—mentoring young women and watching them grow into leadership roles.”
Loveena spent several years sitting on the board of the Children’s Wish Foundation (now Make A Wish), where her desire to find meaning in her work grew. She describes that experience as ‘incredibly rewarding.’ She continues, “That’s where my passion for giving back, philanthropy, and doing work that has meaning took shape and has led me to where I am now.”
As the Chief Executive Officer at InspireHealth (inspirehealth.ca), she says, “This position came at the right time in my life—I had seen a lot of close family and friends go through some horrible times through their cancer journeys, and I knew when this opportunity came up that it was the place I needed to be. It has become a real passion project,” she discloses, reflecting the tragic consequences of Cancer.
InspireHealth is transforming lives. The organization is unique in that the team looks at the patient as a whole person, understanding what they need beyond just cancer treatment to live their life to the fullest and have better outcomes. They consider the connection between mind, body, and spirit, whether that’s counseling and mental health support, exercise and nutrition therapy, or managing treatment side-effects with one of their team of physicians. They support patients and their caregivers with everything from art therapy and meditation to yoga and cooking classes. Crucially, all their services are free for many people, and no referral is necessary.
Regarding the accessibility of InspireHealth’s services to communities across BC, Loveena explains, “One of the silver linings that came out of the pandemic was their ability to reach patients better wherever they are. They now offer in-person, online, and hybrid services to reach patients across BC and beyond. That means anybody living in a rural or remote location can get the one-on-one and group support they need.
Loveena’s passion for her team’s work shines when she smiles and shares, “I love this organization and everything we do. What makes me proud is that our team takes the time to understand and support our patients’ physical and mental health needs. They go above and beyond. I am also proud to create an environment for our staff that is equally supportive, creating an environment where people are inspired and feel a deep connection to our work.”
Looking forward, Loveena hopes that InspireHealth will increasingly impact the lives of even more cancer patients and their loved ones throughout BC, especially in rural and remote areas and underserved communities such as Surrey and Kamloops.
“The need for our services continues to grow and has skyrocketed since COVID. In BC, there are 30,000 people diagnosed with Cancer every year and over 200,000 people living with the disease, so the need is great. We must expand our services to reach as many cancer-affected people as possible.”
