More than 30 years ago, June Jones was diagnosed with kidney disease.
Since then, she has spent years on dialysis. A kidney transplant gave her a nearly 15-year reprieve, but when the transplant eventually failed, June was forced to return to dialysis. Today, she continues to live with a disease that has no cure.
But she has also experienced firsthand what medical advances can give a patient: more time, more possibilities, and more moments with the people you love. Along with her husband, Russ, and their grown children, she hopes that one day, researchers will find a cure so future generations won’t have to live with the same uncertainty and limitations that kidney disease has brought to her life.
And the Jones family is making a transformational investment in that possibility.
With another $10-million gift to The Ottawa Hospital’s Campaign to Create Tomorrow and kidney research, The Jones Family Foundation’s total recent commitment is $21 million.
The family’s support will advance kidney research, support fellowships, and help build the new hospital campus.
In recognition of their incredible support, on September 14, The Ottawa Hospital Kidney Research Centre was proudly renamed the Jones Family Kidney Research Centre — a place committed to advancing kidney research and bringing researchers together to develop innovative approaches to treatment.
“For our entire family, the potential impact of kidney research at The Ottawa Hospital is exciting,” said Russ. “It’s also deeply personal.”
June has now spent 13 years waiting for a new kidney. Her antibody levels make finding a compatible donor particularly difficult because her immune system is likely to reject a new kidney.
The Jones family’s latest gift will support researchers at The Ottawa Hospital as they explore whether personalized cell therapy has the potential to lower antibody levels enough to make a transplant successful for patients like June.
For the Jones family, this could mean giving hope to patients who have spent years waiting on the transplant list.
“I know what it feels like to have your life changed by a transplant,” said June. “After waiting so many years for another kidney, I hope this research can help open that door again — not just for me, but for other patients who are waiting as well.”
The Jones’ gift will also support fellowships on both the clinical and research sides, helping train the next generation of scientists and clinicians. By giving emerging researchers the opportunity to pursue new ideas, the family hopes to help build the expertise needed to turn discoveries into better care for patients.
And the possibilities extend beyond kidney disease.
Researchers are exploring personalized cell therapy — an approach that uses a patient’s own cells to develop treatments tailored to their unique biology. While the work is being explored in kidney disease, the same approach could eventually be applied to other complex diseases.
That means the family’s investment isn’t only helping researchers search for a solution to one disease. It’s helping advance personalized medicine that could one day change how a multitude of diseases are treated.
The Jones family’s investment builds on their past support and is also part of a larger commitment to the future of healthcare in Ottawa and beyond.
In 2018 they donated $1 million to support kidney research, followed by a $10M commitment in 2022. Their generosity has supported advanced kidney transplant and immunology research, clinical trials, innovative cell manufacturing and therapies, and core research resources.
Russ Jones also serves on The Ottawa Hospital Foundation’s Board of Directors, giving him a close view of the hospital’s plans for the future and the role philanthropy will play in bringing them to life.
“The new hospital campus will attract the best researchers and clinicians from around the world and give them the space and resources to address some of healthcare’s most complex challenges,” said Russ. “As a family, this is what we want to help achieve. This is the legacy we want to leave.”
Every gift fuels world-leading research and care at The Ottawa Hospital.
