The R. Howard Webster Foundation’s support of initiatives in the field of Medicine spans more than fifty years…
The R. Howard Webster Foundation’s support of initiatives in the field of Medicine spans more than fifty years and encompasses many areas, including infrastructure, health care, and research. Over the years, the Foundation’s funding scope has expanded and evolved in tandem with advancements in medical science and practices. The Foundation’s investment in the emerging field of palliative care in the 1990s and, more recently, its support of innovative advances in new and emerging programs that offer resources and guidance to cancer patients, aid to people seeking accessible medical treatment, and research in areas such as autoimmune disease, neurology, and other chronic diseases are clear examples of the Foundation’s commitment to mankind.
Cedars Cancer Foundation
‘The Bell’ Fund will provide comfort kits to each new chemotherapy patient at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC)
Judy Martin vividly remembers the day she was told she had stage three breast cancer. “You need to fight with me,” her physician, Dr. Ari Meguerditchian, told her, and she replied, “you’re never going to meet anyone who hates to lose more than me.” Cancer is a journey, with many milestones along the way. “The start and end of chemo are some of the biggest milestones, and the achievement should be recognized, which is why I am so proud that we launched ‘The Bell’ Fund on February 4, 2016 – to give patients support, inspiration, and hopefully a little comfort on this journey,” says Mrs. Martin, who founded the fund with the support of the Cedars Cancer Foundation and Cedars CanSupport.
‘The Bell’ Fund will provide comfort kits to each new chemotherapy patient at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). “My own experience with cancer gave me insight on what items could make a patient’s experience easier,” says Mrs. Martin. The kit contains a fleece blanket with a foot pocket to keep the patient warm, because chemotherapy patients often feel cold, and a pocket in your lap to make your reading material and technology accessible; a reusable water bottle to help patients swallow medication and quench their thirst; a note pad and pen to take notes during doctors’ visits; mints to soothe throats and remove the metal taste that some patients have during treatment; and a magazine to help pass the time. Schoolchildren are helping the project, writing notes to patients wishing them well, which is having the greatest impact for the patients.
To celebrate the accomplishment of making it through chemotherapy, patients are encouraged to ring one of several bells that are now positioned around the Cedars Cancer Centre and The Montreal Children’s Hospital. The bells are all engraved with the words: LUCKY, GRATEFUL, HOPEFUL.
More than 4,500 new cancer patients are diagnosed and treated annually at the MUHC, 1,000 of whom are chemotherapy patients. The Cedars Cancer Centre receives approximately 750 patient visits per day – 250 for chemotherapy, 250 for radiation treatment, and 250 for other tests – aggregating 170,000 patient visits to the Centre annually.
The R. Howard Webster Foundation recently made a grant to the Cedars Cancer Foundation toward ‘The Bell’ Fund campaign and its $1 million goal, to ensure that comfort kits are given to every newly-diagnosed MUHC cancer patient.
About Cedars Cancer Foundation
For nearly 50 years, Cedars’ priority has been to assure that patients and their families benefit from exceptional care and support, the latest knowledge and continuous technological advancements. The Foundation raises funds to support patient care, purchase equipment, provide free emotional, psychological, practical and financial support to patients and their families through CanSupport, build and sustain awareness of cancer-related issues, and invest in cancer research, patient education and training for current and future healthcare teams.
For more information on ‘The Bell’ Fund and the Cedars Cancer Foundation, please visit their website at https://www.cedars.ca/cedars/en/funds_and_fellowships/bell_fund
Shriners Hospitals for Children®– Canada
Exceptional Care for Exceptional Kids Campaign
The Exceptional Care for Exceptional Kids Campaign came to a close in May 2016 having raised an extraordinary $130,650,327, exceeding the goal of $130 million. The funds supported the construction of the new Shriners Hospital for Children® – Canada, which opened on October 5, 2015.
The R. Howard Webster Foundation’s grant to the campaign allowed for the purchase of a Microcomputed Tomographer Microscope System/ High Resolution 3D X-Ray. This equipment is being used in the new basic research laboratories, the only exclusively pediatric bone sampling and analysis laboratory (histomorphometry) in the world. From now on, as part of their diagnosis assessment and treatment follow-up, young patients will undergo microcomputed tomography, a non-invasive imaging technique that allows doctors to precisely measure numerous bone parameters. This equipment is not currently available anywhere in Montreal, and represents a new class of solution for non-invasive 3D imaging of complex internal structures. The data collected will not only serve today’s patients but will also be useful in the study of the bone disease and the development of new treatments.
About Shriners Hospitals for Children®– Canada
Established in Montreal in 1925, The Shriners Hospitals for Children – Canada is the only Canadian establishment within the network of 22 Shriners Hospitals, the others being located in the U.S. and Mexico. The bilingual, short-term, acute care hospital provides ultra-specialized orthopaedic care to children from coast to coast, the U.S. and around the world. The mission of the hospital is to promote health and provide treatment and rehabilitation to infants, children and young adults with orthopaedic and neuromuscular problems such as scoliosis, brittle bone disease, club feet, hip dysplasia, leg length discrepancies and cerebral palsy. The hospital is committed to excellence and innovation in clinical practice, research and education and to ensuring patients and their families are treated in a caring, family-friendly environment. Affiliated with McGill University, it provides clinical experience and teaching for residents and allied professionals. The hospital is also present in communities across Canada thanks to telemedicine, outreach clinics and two satellite clinics located in Winnipeg and Halifax. Shriners Hospitals for Children – Canada has been helping kids reach their full potential for 90 years and counting.
For more information, please visit: http://www.exceptionalcare4kids.com/