It’s all about gratitude, MUHC Foundation head tells fundraiser’s supporters
“Today is about gratitude, it’s also about community, and most of all it’s about celebrating an extraordinary group of people who continue showing us what is possible when compassion meets action,” Marie-Hélène Laramée, president and CEO of the MUHC Foundation, said as she was about to unveil a cheque for $386,407 – the latest annual fundraising donation from Pink in the City
Championing breast wellness
The sum, nearly $70,000 more than what Pink in the City donated last year, was presented on January 25 by officials with Pink in the City. It represented funds raised last year through several activities for holistic care provided to breast cancer cancer patients at the Montreal-based teaching hospital.
Pink in the City has become synonymous with breast cancer care at the McGill University Health Centre. They have championed the MUHC’s Breast Clinic Wellness Program through the MUHC Foundation and events like Raise Craze as well as an annual gala.
Tireless and concerted efforts
From breast cancer survivors to passionate high school students, Pink in the City has brought together a loyal following dedicated to the fight against breast cancer. Pink in the City’s latest donation to the MUHC brought their total contributions to nearly $2 million.
The funds raised were the result of tireless efforts, which included an inspiring Pink in the Rink campaign led by the Concordia University Women’s Hockey Team.
Another one of the fundraising highlights was the Raise Craze, a much-loved event where people shave or dye their hair pink in support of the cause. Students from the Sir Wilfred Laurier School Board did their part, raising more than $20,000 in that campaign, showing how young people are getting involved in philanthropy.
Staff shortages at MUHC
On a somewhat more somber note, Dr. Sarkis Meterissian, director of the Breast Center at the MUHC, sounded a note of caution regarding the state of affairs at the MUHC. “It’s been a very tough year for medicine at the MUHC – there’s no denying it,” he said.
According to Dr. Meterissian, who is a professor of surgery and oncology in the McGill University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, only six of the MUHC’s 14 operating rooms are currently open. “That’s because we don’t have enough anaesthetists or nurses,” he said, noting that some surgeries are now taking place at the Lachine General Hospital and the Ville-Marie Surgery Institute.
He said the money Pink in the City raises helps to promote women’s health not only through the Breast Clinic Wellness Program, but also helps pay for other program necessities, including medical instruments to care for patients.
Thanks to Vourtzoumis family
“The Wellness Centre would never have happened without the Vourtzoumis family and the efforts put in over the past 10-12 years,” Meterissian said. “It’s providing a service that anybody who’s gone to a physiotherapist, a sex therapist, a dietician, an exercise personal trainer, knows that it costs between $100-$150 an hour.”
Thanks to the financial support provided by Pink in the City, many of these services are made available free of charge to patients. “I think that every doctor at the Breast Centre comes to me and says, ‘my patient needs this, my patient needs that,’ and we’re able to provide it thanks to you. I wake up every day thanking you guys for everything you do.”
