- Rockland resident and financial advisor Mathieu Chatelain has always had been ambitious — he even built his own home at 19
- Active in the community, he was deeply moved when hearing a patient testimonial at our Foundation's President's Breakfast
- Unbeknownst to him, there was a meaningful connection between him and the doctor sitting next to him at that breakfast
- Determined to help ensure a healthier future, he has decided to support the Campaign To Create Tomorrow by raising $100,000 and running 100K in 12 hours
Published: July 2025
Ambition — it’s a part of Mathieu Chatelain’s character. It’s been a driving force in the way he’s lived his life, and it was a driving force through some of the biggest challenges he’s faced to date. Now, it guides him to help others. One way he’s decided to do that is to support the region’s largest fundraising campaign — the $500 million Campaign to Create Tomorrow.
Mathieu developed an excellent work ethic early on while growing up in Navan. He began working when he was just 12, and within seven years had already started his own construction business. Then, while he studied architecture in college, his ambitious plans continued to grow, and he built his first home by the time he was 19. Always one to immerse himself in learning, Mathieu picked up the book Mastery by Robert Greene. “It explains how you become a master of your own art, and by my late 20s, I decided the business of construction wasn’t for me,” he explains.
Finding ways to give back and help others
He went back to what had interested him most when he was young — money. Throughout high school, Mathieu was known as “Mr. Budget” and his favourite game was Monopoly. So, he decided to dive into the world of finance and help navigate clients through the world of financial planning.
It was that reinvention of himself and decision to change the trajectory of his life that moulded him into the person he is today. Financial advisor, father, husband, and someone dedicated to supporting others in his community.
“I remember saying how I wanted to get involved in the community and make a positive change.”
It was during those transition years when he was first introduced to The Ottawa Hospital Foundation. Mathieu participated in Race Weekend to support our hospital, and he also volunteered at THE RIDE, an annual cycling fundraiser. “I remember saying how I wanted to get involved in the community and make a positive change.”
Emotional connection at the President’s Breakfast
Then, Mathieu was invited to attend his first President’s Breakfast — our Foundation’s annual fundraising event that brings together business and public service leaders. It was an experience he won’t soon forget. He recalls Natasha Lewis on stage, telling her story about learning she had a brain tumour, and how The Ottawa Hospital saved her life and got her back to her children.
“I was crying as I listened — really crying because this one hit home. The gentleman next to me asked why I was crying,” recalls Mathieu. “I explained how it reminded me of when I was eight years old, and my dad was going to the hospital to have a tumour removed. He said he’d be back in two days. Only after hearing Natasha speak did I realize the extent of what my dad must have been going through.”
The gentleman, a physician at our hospital, looked at the surname on Mathieu’s name tag and asked him to text his dad to see if it was Dr. Schramm who operated on him.
Mathieu texted his father, who confirmed his surgeon was, in fact, Dr. David Schramm, now Head of the Department of Otolaryngology/Head and Neck Surgery.
“I happened to be sitting next to the surgeon who operated on my dad 30 years ago. I was able to hug Dr. Schramm to say thank you for bringing my dad back.”
Belief in the plan to reshape the future of healthcare
Now, Mathieu wants to help other families. “I’m not a doctor; I’m not a nurse. I’m not in the healthcare system. But I know there’s a way to help,” he explains. “I’ve heard about plans for the new hospital campus and Cameron Love’s message about changing the system and the process, and that resonated with me. It’s about more than building four walls. I want to help another parent come home to their family, like my dad did.”
"I want to accomplish something that’s greater than myself, for our community to be aware of the need to support this great cause.”
As a father of three with another on the way in August 2025, he wants to ensure a healthy future for not only his family, but also for those he meets through his work as a financial advisor — families who are often facing healthcare challenges and their need to access specialized care.
“Throughout my life experiences, I’ve learned that to make a difference, I have to do something that’s above and beyond me. I want to accomplish something that’s greater than myself, for our community to be aware of the need to support this great cause.”
An ultramarathon for $100,000
Driven to go above and beyond, Mathieu has decided that if he can raise $100,000, he will run 100km in 12 hours. The funds raised will go toward the Campaign to Create Tomorrow — the largest fundraising campaign in the history of the region in support of the largest healthcare infrastructure project, the new hospital campus.
The idea to run 100 km came after reading the book Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds by David Goggins. Mathieu describes him as the human Superman and when he runs, this author’s words are in his ears. “The key will be training. I know my body, and I’m listening to my body, but I have built a plan to be able to get to 100km.”
“I don’t go a week without learning about someone who needs care at The Ottawa Hospital. That’s my motivation. That’s what I’m thinking about with each training run.”
Over the course of the next year, Mathieu will dedicate himself to the training. Even with a newborn arriving soon, he plans to do the 100km run in the fall of 2026 in Rockland, where he lives and runs his business today.
As that training progresses, the motivation will be those stories he hears from his peers who are struck by a critical illness. “I don’t go a week without learning about someone who needs care at The Ottawa Hospital. That’s my motivation. That’s what I’m thinking about with each training run.”
