Archives des Creating Tomorrow | Page 4 of 15 | The Ottawa Hospital Foundation

If there’s one word that comes to mind when you first meet Major James Morrison (Ret’d), it’s “dedication.” He is deeply dedicated to his country, his wife, and our healthcare system. It’s a loyalty that spanned decades — the major will be 100 years old in 2024. He was born the same year The Ottawa Hospital Civic campus first opened in 1924.

Major James Morrison with his wife, Betty.

Every year, for the last 29 years, Major Morrison has generously donated to The Ottawa Hospital.

“I owe it to the hospital for the care they gave me.”
— Major James Morrison

When asked what motivates him to give so loyally, he answers with a charming smile. “Well, mostly because I was a customer there. And I owe it to the hospital for the care they gave me.”

First, it was heart issues. Then, ten years ago, prostate cancer.

“I was treated very well there,” he says, recounting how, at the end of his cancer treatment, he got to ring the bell not once, but eight times.

“Because that’s the Navy tradition. That’s either noon or midnight,” he explains, referring to the tradition of ringing of the ship’s bell eight times to mark the “end of watch,” or in some instances, as a nautical euphemism for finished.

Despite Major Morrison’s nod to this special tradition, it was not the Navy where he spent his long career, but the Royal Canadian Air Force, where he enlisted at just 18 years old.

“I was only 118 pounds and they said, ‘We can’t take you until you’re 120. Go home and fatten up.’ So, I went home and fattened up,” he recounts.

During the Second World War, he was posted to the Southeast Asia Air Command, and following the war, he transported prisoners to the War Crimes Trials.

Major Morrison married the love of his life, Betty, in 1951, and together they started a family. His career took them to various posts across Canada, and in 1970, he was an Officer Commanding at the Canadian Armed Forces Operation Centre in Ottawa, where he delivered instructions when the War Measures Act was invoked on October 16 of that year.

Later in life, he began patrolling public areas of the airport as the Ottawa Airport Watch, and Betty accompanied him on many of those night shifts. He made his final patrol in January 2014 — on his ninetieth birthday.

These are but a few milestones on a journey that has spanned nearly 10 decades on this earth, from the highs of first enlisting as a young man to the lows of his wife’s diagnosis with Alzheimer’s. “She doesn’t know who I am anymore.”

The two have been married 72 years, and not a day goes by that he doesn’t visit her.

It’s clear Major Morrison is loyal to the core. And while many of his stories are about the past, it’s the future he wants people in Ottawa to focus on; and he encourages others to support The Ottawa Hospital’s Campaign to Create Tomorrow.

“You should invest in this because you may need it in the future at some point.”
— Major James Morrison

The $500-million campaign is the largest in Ottawa’s history and sets in motion a vision to completely reshape healthcare by building the most technologically advanced hospital in Canada and taking groundbreaking research and innovation to unprecedented heights. And it’s something Major Morrison believes is worth supporting.

“You should invest in this because you may need it in the future at some point,” he offers as wise advice to generations that follow. “This new campus is for them.”

The new hospital is expected to open in 2028, and we would love to see Major Morrison there on opening day. “I was sort of looking forward to seeing it,” he says.

Major James Morrison, thank you for your service to our country and our community.

Categories: Donors, Donors, Donors

Published: June 2023

When someone suffers a stroke, the results can be devastating, from severe debilitation to death. An intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) stroke, more commonly known as a bleeding stroke, is the most serious form of this disease. However, after decades with little in the way of treatment advancements, a global research trial being led in Canada by The Ottawa Hospital could mean an effective treatment is finally on the horizon.

The Ottawa Hospital is recognized worldwide for its expertise in neuroscience, and we’ve made significant strides in addressing today’s most pressing challenges in this area of medicine — including our international, groundbreaking work in stroke. In fact, we are leading the way in how stroke care is delivered in Canada.

World-leading research

Intracerebral hemorrhage is the most lethal and disabling type of stroke, but researchers at our hospital are leading the Canadian site of a promising research trial that could change the way we treat these bleeding strokes.

“The ICH stroke makes up roughly a quarter of strokes. It’s more common as people's ages go up. In Canada, we have an aging population, so we're seeing more and more cerebral hemorrhage.”

— Dr. Dar Dowlatshahi

Dr. Dar Dowlatshahi is a stroke neurologist and senior scientist in the neuroscience program at our hospital. He is leading the Canadian site of the research trial and hopes it will change the way we treat the deadliest and least treatable form of stroke. “The ICH stroke makes up roughly a quarter of strokes. It’s more common as people age. In Canada, we have an aging population, so we’re seeing more and more cerebral hemorrhage,” explains Dr. Dowlatshahi.

All about stroke

Stroke is a disease that occurs within the arteries — also called blood vessels — that are connected to and within the brain. These arteries carry vital nutrients and oxygen to the brain. A stroke occurs when one of these arteries is either blocked by a clot or bursts, preventing the oxygen and nutrients from reaching the brain and causing the artery and brain cells to die.

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When a stroke code is called

The first thing to happen when someone experiences a stroke is they lose an ability ─ and it happens fast. This is the case whether it’s an ischemic stroke (blood clot) or a bleeding stroke. “For example, they’ll suddenly not be able to move an arm or leg, you’ll see their face droop, or they’ll lose the ability to speak. They may lose vision, or they may also collapse to the floor,” explains Dr. Dowlatshahi.

“For any type of stroke, we use the acronym FAST. If you suddenly see a person’s face get droopy, that’s the F. Ask them to lift their arm, and if they can’t, that’s the A, if their speech changes, that’s the S, and the T in FAST is for time. If you see these symptoms, you need to call 911 immediately.”

How can you check if someone is having a stroke?

If you suspect someone is having a stroke, experts recommend using the F.A.S.T. method.

Face: Ask them to smile. Look for if one side droops.
Arms: Ask them to raise their arms. Look for if one arm doesn’t lift as high or at all.
Speech: Ask them to speak. Look for if their words are slurred or seem unusual.
Time: If any of these signs appear, call 911 right away, and note when the first sign appeared.

In the Champlain region, which includes Renfrew County, Ottawa, North Lanark, North Grenville, Stormont, Dundas, and Glengarry, as well as Prescott-Russell, the rapid response stroke system is excellent, according to Dr. Dowlatshahi. “When you call 911, they can identify the correct stroke hospital to take the patient to, and they call ahead. In the Champlain region, that hospital would be the Civic Campus of The Ottawa Hospital. Our stroke team knows they’re coming, and we’re ready to receive the individual.”

When it’s a stroke where a blood clot has formed in the vessel, there have been significant advancements in care when the patient arrives at the Emergency Department. Those treatments include new clot-busting medications or pulling the clots out with new technology.

However, when the vessel bursts and bleeds into the brain, it’s a more devastating stroke — one that occurs every five minutes in Canada. About 80% of people who have this type of stroke are permanently disabled, while about 40% don’t survive past the first month.

“And nothing’s been successful in the past 20 years as far as treatment, except for bringing down the blood pressure a little bit. That helps, but not in a major way,” explains Dr. Dowlatshahi. “So, we’ve been working very hard over the last decade here, and with our international colleagues, to come up with an approach to treat this type of stroke.

Global intracerebral hemorrhage stroke research trial may lead to better outcomes

Now, a global research trial being led in Canada by our hospital could result in the first drug treatment for ICH stroke patients.

The trial is called FASTEST, referring to the importance of treating a patient who has a bleeding stroke as fast as possible — in under two hours. “It’s a very aggressive, fast trial, and we give the patient a compound that helps stop the bleeding. This compound is called factor VII,” says Dr. Dowlatshahi.

“When a vessel bursts in the brain, it starts squishing that brain and damaging it, and you must get to it as fast as possible to stop the bleeding.”

— Dr. Dar Dowlatshahi

Factor VII is one of many clotting factors naturally produced by our bodies. As Dr. Dowlatshahi explains, the drug in the trial is a synthesized version of factor VII, and time is crucial. “The reason we want to act fast is, if you can imagine you have a pipe that bursts and you’re getting water everywhere, what you’re trying to do is seal the pipe before all the water comes out and damages everything around it,” he says. “That analogy holds all too true for the brain because it’s a closed compartment. It’s got a skull around it. When a vessel bursts in the brain, it starts squishing that brain and damaging it, and you must get to it as fast as possible to stop the bleeding.”

When a patient with an ICH stroke arrives at The Ottawa Hospital, the trial protocol allows the stroke team to access this new therapy. It’s randomized testing, so neither patients nor the care team know whether the actual drug or the placebo was administered.

In 2021, the trial launched. The Ottawa Hospital was the first centre in Canada and enrolled the first two patients worldwide. “Typically, you would think the U.S. would get the first patient because they’re bigger, they have more centres, but it was actually us — it was here in Canada,” says Dr. Dowlatshahi. To date, six countries are participating in this trial including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, and Japan.

What are the early indicators?

While the testing is randomized, there are early indicators that give reason to be optimistic about what the results of this trial could mean for stroke patients in the future.

In fact, Dr. Dowlatshahi cites the first patient enrolled was an 80-year-old woman who arrived at the hospital in 2021 suffering from a life-threatening stroke. She was enrolled in the study, and less than a week later, she walked out of the hospital. That’s not something this stroke specialist typically witnesses in this type of patient. “She did amazing to the point that she returned completely back to normal,” he explains. “We also got the second patient in the world — both did spectacularly. We’re now up to six patients in Ottawa.”

“If you are in Ottawa and suffer this type of stroke, you have a 50% chance of getting something that nobody else can get — something that may very well be the future standard of care.”

– Dr. Dar Dowlatshahi

Globally, 172 people have been enrolled in the trial with an eventual target of 860. While this is a randomized, blinded trial with final results still to come, Dr. Dowlatshahi believes this treatment could be a game changer for stroke patients after decades of little in the way of options. And for those living in the Ottawa region, they get access to something few Canadians have at this stage. “If you’re somewhere where this trial is not available, you would go to the emergency department, get your blood pressure lowered, and receive the best of the standard care available,” explains Dr. Dowlatshahi. “However, if you are in Ottawa and suffer this type of stroke, you have a 50% chance of getting something nobody else can get — something that may very well be the future standard of care.”

“This research means a type of stroke that affects one out of four, that is currently the most lethal and the most disabling type of stroke, could become completely treatable.”

– Dr. Dar Dowlatshahi

And while the research teams continue to recruit more patients into the trial, not only here at The Ottawa Hospital, but also at all the other sites around the world, there is optimism that this could be the long-awaited breakthrough for patients who suffer from ICH stroke. “This research means a type of stroke that affects one out of four, that is currently the most lethal and the most disabling type of stroke, could become completely treatable.”

Listen to episode 85 of Pulse Podcast for our conversation with Dr. Dar Dowlatshahi.

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Categories: Neuro, World-Leading Research, World-Leading Research, World-Leading Research, World-Leading Research

Published: May 2023

Sometimes you meet someone and wonder what drew you together. That’s what happened when Holly Wagg met Lynne Strickland in Patagonia, Chile. Both women lived in Ottawa, but it was a serendipitous meeting almost 10,000 kms from home where they ended up as bunk mates while on an expedition. Soon, they would discover a special bond between them — they both had loved ones who faced leukemia, and while their journeys were different, their stories connected in an unexpected way.

The story begins in the fall of 2015 when Holly’s wife, Julia Wagg, started to feel inexplicably tired. At the time, the Director of Talent Management at Hydro Ottawa was also teaching a course at Carleton’s Sprott School of Business, and juggling life with three children — she had a lot on her plate. But then one day she noticed blood in her mouth and decided she’d better make a dental appointment. By early December, symptoms escalated. “Julia woke up at 2 or 3 a.m. one night and said, ‘I need to go to the hospital.’ She could hardly breathe because she had crushing chest pain,” remembers Holly.

World-leading research

Groundbreaking research like CAR T-cell therapy is bringing hope to patients and their families ─ families like Holly’s and Lynne’s. Our Campaign to Create Tomorrow will take research to unprecedented heights and help bring even more breakthroughs to patients, faster than ever.

That first visit to the hospital didn’t determine any clear signs of what might be wrong, but Julia’s fatigue persisted into the new year. The family had big plans to travel to Africa, and Julia was determined to go. Holly was leaving early to climb Mount Kilimanjaro, then Julia and their youngest daughter, Addison, would follow two weeks later.

Leukemia diagnosis heard around the world

As Holly summitted the mountain, back home Julia received devastating news. “While I had been up there, she had taken herself to the hospital one morning, and they told her she wasn’t leaving — she had leukemia,” says Holly. “Julia waited four days to tell me so I could finish my climb. When I found out, I raced back as soon as I could.”

The life Holly returned to was much different than the one she had left. Julia was immediately put on a chemotherapy cocktail — 24/7. She remained hospitalized for three to four weeks and when Holly was finally able to visit her in the hospital, she says the reunion was heartbreaking and devastating. “Julia was going through this fight of her life and was having so many complications from chemo. I was researching and I knew what we were facing.”

The couple learned Julia had the acute myeloid leukemia mutation known as FLT3. It was aggressive. “This is like driving your car and slamming your foot down on a gas pedal — that’s how fast the cancer was reproducing. Most people have a 10% chance of surviving five years,” explains Holly. “So, my mission became to make whatever time we had left the best possible time.”

By the second round of chemo and after 12 weeks as an in-patient, Julia was in remission and was eligible for a stem cell transplant. Her sister was a match, and three weeks later, in May 2016, Julia received the transplant of her sister’s stem cells — and the hope for more time with her family.

However, Julia faced one complication after another and spent the better part of eight months in the hospital. “Her whole team of doctors and nurses up on 5 West and the Bone Marrow Transplant team at The Ottawa Hospital were amazing,” remembers Holly. “She left hospital in December with limited mobility, but started strength training and eventually we had her skiing. We learned how to cross-country ski.”

Making the most of their precious time left together

The family had what Holly describes as the perfect three months of a cancer-free life. During Julia’s cancer care, she never made promises to her children, but there was one exception. She told Addison she would be there to celebrate her sixth birthday — things were going well. A big birthday party was planned with a fairy theme and all their friends came together to celebrate. “It was beautiful and joyous,” remembers Holly.

But after the party, Julia collapsed on the floor in agony from extreme bone pain. By the next day, the same thing happened, and she went to the hospital. The blood work looked normal, so they did a bone marrow biopsy. When Holly and Julia returned to the hospital for the results, Julia couldn’t walk.

Julia’s cancer was back. The couple knew if a patient relapsed within 12 months following a stem-cell transplant, there’s no chance of a second transplant. It had only been 11 months.

Julia passed away in the ICU of The Ottawa Hospital a week-and-a-half later. “She had all the people who loved her around the bed that night. I brought Addi into the room, and I grabbed Harry Potter because that was the story we were reading at the time. As I was reading, Julia’s heartbeat started to decelerate. I wanted to stop, but I knew she needed to hear me. She needed to know we’re all okay,” recalls Holly. “Jules was surrounded by love, and she chose to let go during this beloved bedtime ritual.”

Meeting a ‘spitfire’ young researcher

Before Julia passed away at the age of 36, she and Holly had some difficult but honest conversations. During her lengthy time in hospital, Julia witnessed many things as a patient. As a patient at a teaching hospital, she met many rotations of residents, in both the physician and nursing programs. Julia often said yes to the residents who were taking blood for the first time, and she said yes to two doctors who performed their first bone marrow biopsies. She wanted to help.

“One of the physicians who cared for her was Dr. Natasha Kekre. She was a spitfire — she was young, and she was brilliant. She was looking to start a clinical trial at The Ottawa Hospital to offer breakthroughs in leukemia treatment using CAR T-cell therapies. Julia wanted to elevate that research.”

– Holly Wagg

Because of the aggressiveness of her cancer, she also interacted with many physicians who were also researchers. “Julia was very curious and asking them about their projects. One of the physicians who cared for her was Dr. Natasha Kekre. She was a spitfire — she was young, and she was brilliant. She was looking to start clinical trial at The Ottawa Hospital to offer breakthroughs in leukemia treatment using CAR T‑cell therapies. Julia wanted to elevate that research,” explains Holly.

Julia and Holly had read about CAR‑T and knew what the possibilities would mean for patients like Julia in the future. It was the first big game changer to leukemia treatment in more than 20 years. They had seen what was happening in the United States and believed patients in Canada should have access to it. “Being a part of research to improve that path for people going forward was very important to both of us, which is why, for us, that legacy was about making sure other families didn’t have to experience what we did. We wanted to be a part of that change,” says Holly.

What is CAR-T therapy?

CAR T-cell therapy involves removing the patient’s T-cells and genetically engineering them with a disarmed virus to produce synthetic molecules called “chimeric antigen receptors” (CAR). These new CAR T-cells are then injected back into the patient so they can target and attack the cancer.

Learn More

Julia’s legacy and her commitment to research

With that in mind, Julia decided to leave a gift in her will to support research at The Ottawa Hospital. Her legacy would live on. Holly has also committed to leaving a gift in her will to build on Julia’s wishes and to further fund research that was so important to both of them.

By 2019, The Ottawa Hospital became one of three centres in the province administering the Ontario CAR T‑cell Therapy program for adults — just the type of progress Julia would have wanted. The program meant the T‑cells could be collected from the patient here, then sent to the U.S. to be genetically engineered into CAR T‑cells. Those cells are returned to the hospital and injected back into the patient so they can target and attack the cancer. The challenge is that it’s only available for patients with a specific type of lymphoma and leukemia. Commercial CAR‑T therapy is also very expensive and time-consuming. The commercial cell manufacturing, testing, and shipping process can take up to eight weeks– time that many of the sickest patients don’t have.

What is a legacy gift or an estate gift?

Both terms refer to a donation to a charity made through your will or estate plans. These donations can take several forms, such as cash, securities, or even property.

That wasn’t good enough for people like Dr. Kekre – she wanted to develop a made-in-Canada solution. Today, she’s helping to lead a Canadian-first CAR T‑cell therapy clinical trial at our hospital. This opens the door to faster, less expensive, and more equitable CAR‑T treatment across Canada. It also provides a platform for the development of even better cellular immunotherapies that may work for more kinds of cancer. World-class research facilities at The Ottawa Hospital, such as the Biotherapeutics Manufacturing Centre, have played a key role in the development of this platform.

“It was amazing to get updates on the project because we found out that it was going to clinical trial and there were very positive early results,” says Holly. “And then I saw the first face of a trial participant — a man named Owen. Then I read Camille’s story. And that was an amazing one for me.”

A Canadian-first clinical trial gives lymphoma patient a third chance

Read Owen's Story

CAR-T clinical trial provides ‘one last shot’ for leukemia patient

Read Camille's Story

Making the connection

The impact of Julia’s forward thinking became even more personal when Holly had that chance meeting with a stranger in another hemisphere in February 2020. She and Lynne were both seeking adventure in Patagonia. For Holly, it was a big step — the first time she had travelled since Julia’s death. The two women bonded when they realized they had a special connection — Lynne’s daughter, Nicole Strickland, had been diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2018 and treated at The Ottawa Hospital.

“We had that common kind of understanding of seeing a loved one go through leukemia, the challenges, and a stem cell transplant,” explains Lynne. “But then when Nikki relapsed, I remembered Holly had mentioned Julia’s legacy had gone to funding research into CAR‑T.”

Nicole was just 19 years old and in military college when she was diagnosed. At the time, she was stationed at CFB Petawawa for job experience with the helicopter squadron. She underwent chemotherapy treatment, but because her cancer was aggressive, her care team at The Ottawa Hospital recommended a stem cell transplant. Nicole’s sister was a 100% match. The stem cell transplant took place in September 2018, and then Nicole went into remission.

By the summer of 2021, Nicole was posted with a new unit in Halifax and getting routine blood work. That’s when she learned her cancer was back. But this time, she was introduced to immunotherapy, which she received in Halifax, followed by CAR‑T therapy — which meant returning to The Ottawa Hospital.

“There was a world of difference between CAR T‑cell therapy and the stem cell transplant,” explains Nicole. “I lost 40 pounds during the stem cell transplant. I couldn’t eat. I almost had to get a feeding tube at one point, which scared me. It took me about eight months to fully recover and then another year to get back into the gym. It was also mentally difficult. But with CAR‑T, I had energy, and my spirits were good. There were just a few days of feeling off and then I was back on my feet.”

How CAR T-cell therapy gave Nicole new hope

Nicole qualified for the Ontario CAR T‑cell Therapy program, which saw her T‑cells shipped to the U.S. to be genetically modified into CAR T‑cells. Once they were shipped back to The Ottawa Hospital, they were then infused into Nicole’s body.

“Unless you’ve been through what my family and I have been through, it’s hard to understand the depth that donating to a cause like that means. CAR-T gave me my life back — I’m just so grateful.”

– Nicole Strickland

Today, 18 months after her CAR‑T treatment, Nicole is now an operations officer and continuing her military career in Halifax and feeling stronger each day. She’s deeply grateful to people like Julia who had the forethought to invest in cancer research. “Unless you’ve been through what my family and I have been through, it’s hard to understand the depth that donating to a cause like that means. CAR‑T gave me my life back — I’m just so grateful.”

It’s those who support research that pave the way for patients like Nicole to have better outcomes. For Lynne, it’s also the work that’s came before breakthroughs like CAR-T that is just as important. “For Nikki’s care during the stem cell treatment, they had a plan, and that plan was because of the research and the investment made by others before CAR‑T was an option. It’s about bringing forth solutions that save not just one person’s life, but their whole family,” says Lynne.

“It’s about bringing forth solutions that save not just one person's life, but their whole family.”

– Lynne Strickland

For Holly to make that personal connection with Lynne and to see someone as young as Nicole have success is not something she ever expected. “As a donor, somebody who invests in research, I never expected to see any transformation in my lifetime. I’m willing to wait and be patient. But I never expected to see actual change to medical practice in my lifetime. And never mind did I expect to see it just a few short years after my wife’s death.”

And so, Julia’s legacy continues today, not only through her three children Robin, Brandin, and Addison, but also through the research she helped fund — research that is changing the course of cancer care. The more faces Holly connects back to the research and the more stories of survival she learns about, the more she witnesses Julia live on. “When you think about a legacy and about what you leave for others and how you shape a world — how much more powerful can that be knowing that in some way you’ve given other people an extra shot at life?”

Download episode #84 of Pulse Podcast to hear Holly Wagg talk about Julia's life and legacy.

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Categories: Cancer, Clinical Trials, Clinical Trials, Clinical Trials, Donors, Gift In Will, Immunotherapy

April 25, 2023, OTTAWA, ON – One year after the public launch of the historic $500-million Campaign to Create Tomorrow, The Ottawa Hospital Foundation announced it has surpassed the halfway point of its fundraising goal. With $268 million raised to date, the campaign has taken a significant step forward to support the state-of-the-art new hospital on Carling Avenue and to enhance the hospital’s leading-edge research.

With 53.6% of the campaign’s goal achieved, Tim Kluke, President and CEO of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, said residents of our city, region, and beyond understand how vital this new hospital campus will be for generations to come. “In the past year, we’ve seen so many families, individuals, and organizations make their largest philanthropic gifts ever — full stop. It’s a powerful example of how our city is ready to bring to life this vision to transform healthcare. While our campaign goal is ambitious, and there’s still plenty of work to do, we know achieving our goal is possible. There is room for everyone in this campaign and our success to date shows the city is ready to make it happen.”

From improving trauma care to enhancing neuroscience excellence to taking research to new heights, this campaign will strengthen the hospital’s ability to transform patient care here at home and around the globe.

With the first phase of construction now underway, Roger Greenberg, Chair of the Campaign to Create Tomorrow, explained that it’s generated a new level of excitement about the future of healthcare. “This is a critical moment I’d been waiting for — the reality of seeing work underway. It’s an exciting moment in time for this campaign, and I know it will energize our community’s engagement with what the future holds for healthcare.”

To join the Campaign to Create Tomorrow in support of The Ottawa Hospital, visit CreatingTomorrow.ca.

About The Ottawa Hospital: 

The Ottawa Hospital is one of Canada’s top learning and research hospitals where we are guided by our vision to provide the world-class and compassionate care, we would all want for our loved ones. Our multi-campus hospital, affiliated with the University of Ottawa, is home to the Regional Trauma Centre and Cancer Centre, and to discoveries that are adopted globally.

Backed by generous support from the community, we are focused on reshaping the future of healthcare to improve the health of our diverse population of patients from eastern Ontario, western Quebec, and Nunavut.

For more information about The Ottawa Hospital, visit OHFoundation.ca.   

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Katie Lafferty and Scott Watson are two people deeply invested in healthcare — they have immersed their lives in it.

Katie has been an integral part of The Ottawa Hospital for years, serving as Chair of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, as a member of the hospital’s Board of Directors. She’s also an integral part of the executive team for the Campaign to Create Tomorrow.

For 23 years, Katie has dedicated her professional life to the field of stroke. Today, she’s the Chief Executive Officer of the Heart and Stroke Foundation Canadian Partnership for Stroke Recovery, a national organization focused on collaborative research, training, and knowledge translation in stroke recovery. Her connection to the illness took a personal turn when a loved one suffered a stroke.

“My grandmother was a doctor, a cardiologist, and an internist,” explains Katie. “She had a stroke back in the 90s, before the drug TPA was available. So, she knew everything that was happening to her, but there wasn’t an answer to it. She gradually degenerated after that, but she was cared for at The Ottawa Hospital.”

In early 2000, Scott, originally from Alberta, moved to Ottawa, and that’s where this couple’s love story began. He initially worked at the Ottawa Life Sciences Council, but by 2006, Scott and Katie opened Watson’s Pharmacy on Main Street — now a staple in the community. By 2012, they opened a second store on Wellington St. West. “We can see the importance of investing in that business, and we also can see the importance of investing in a hospital,” explains Scott. “I know so many people that work at the hospital, and I see so many patients that come out of the hospital who are happy with the care they’ve gotten. We just wanted to be part of that, especially in this new build.”

In 2006, Katie and Scott opened Watson’s Pharmacy, now a staple in the community.

“I know so many people that work at the hospital, and I see so many patients that come out of the hospital who are happy with the care they’ve gotten. We just wanted to be part of that, especially in this new build.”
– Scott Watson

Their largest philanthropic gift ever

Together, Katie and Scott made their largest philanthropic gift ever when they supported the Campaign to Create Tomorrow. While their $50,000 donation was larger than anything they’ve considered before, it was the importance of this particular project and the impact it would have on the community that influenced their decision in the end.

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Lafferty2.jpg — Katie Lafferty and Scott Watson.

“I think we probably also wanted to set an example, because we know there are a lot of other people in the community, like us, who have good jobs. We’re fortunate to have the means to help. We wanted to lead and show it’s possible.”
– Katie Lafferty

“The scale of this one was different, for sure, but we didn’t hesitate,” says Katie. “I think we probably also wanted to set an example, because we know there are a lot of other people in the community, like us, who have good jobs. We’re fortunate to have the means to help. We wanted to lead and show it’s possible,” says Katie.

Their personal connection to the hospital was also a contributing factor to their generous support. Both of their children were born at the Civic Campus. “Those were the happiest days of our lives. A lot of people associate hospitals with being sick and that’s true. But for us, those joyous moments far outshine anything else,” shares Katie.

“It’s not just investing in yourself; you’re investing in the future of Ottawa.”
– Scott Watson

When it comes to once-in-a-generation opportunity, Scott says sometimes you just must take the plunge and think about the future. “We are all probably going to need the hospital someday. And if we can all help that realization of a new hospital, I think it’s not going to just benefit us, it’s also going to benefit our community. So go for it. Just think about the future. It’s not just investing in yourself; you’re investing in the future of Ottawa.”

Katie concurs, adding it will take our entire community to make this a reality. “What we must do as a community is rally and support this campaign because we’re getting there, but there’s a long way to go still. And people shouldn’t sit back and say somebody else is going to look after this for us. We need to look after this ourselves and make this a reality for our community. We’ve got to be proactive. Don’t wait.”

Categories:

Published: April 2023

If you pass by the new campus development site on Carling Avenue, you’ll notice action. Construction on the 50-acre site is in its first phase — that means prepping the land for the new hospital campus and building the parking garage. After years of planning and re-imagining what the future of healthcare could look like, the vision to replace the near century-old Civic Campus of The Ottawa Hospital is becoming reality.

Once completed, the new state-of-the-art campus will be a catalyst for reshaping healthcare for patients across eastern Ontario, western Quebec, and Nunavut. The potential for research breakthroughs could be limitless, especially when seeking new treatments and finding cures for cancer, stroke, Parkinson’s, ALS, and other diseases.

When the new campus opens its doors, it will build on Ottawa’s leadership as a hub for healthcare, research, and training — attracting the best medical minds and scientists in the world. And most importantly, it will transform the patient care experience.

The New Campus Development

The Ottawa Hospital’s new state-of-the-art campus will be the most patient-centred and technologically advanced research hospital in the country. Together, with your support, we have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to completely transform healthcare.

What will you experience when you step into the new hospital campus?

A project of this magnitude includes a vast team, but with one shared goal — to create an exceptional experience for our patients, their families, and our staff.

That’s where Jason-Emery Groën comes into the picture — he’s the Vice-President, Design Director at HDR, an architecture and engineering firm working on the project. Jason-Emery has over two decades of experience on a global scale — his design experience is wide-ranging, including complex multi-billion-dollar healthcare facilities and campuses.

“Our team views this project as an extremely rare, perhaps once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine spaces and environments where healthcare is delivered.”

– Jason-Emery Groën

“Our team views this project as an extremely rare, perhaps once-in-a-generation opportunity to redefine spaces and environments where healthcare is delivered,” explains Jason-Emery.

As plans continue to take shape for the design of the new hospital campus, Jason-Emery can help us visualize the healthcare experience. He starts from the moment you arrive at the main plaza and enter through the front door into the bright and open concourse along the front of the new building. “The concourse is a double-height space with two main towers that span across the main entrance.”

Straight ahead will be the information desk, where some key, high-volume clinics are nearby. This will minimize the travel distance for most people coming and going from the hospital. To the left will be the taller in-patient tower, containing a series of in-patient rooms with a dedicated focus, such as the mother-baby unit, critical care, and acute care. To the right will be the tower that will house a host of other services, including in-patient and out-patient mental health services.

As Jason-Emery explains, there is a key objective in mind when planning the main plaza of the building. “It’s to bring everyone to a central and similar location upon arrival. As visitors move through the main corridors, the design aligns these along the exterior of the building facing the main plaza so, you can always look outside and see where you came from. That is a very simple human requirement, and we feel it’s very important in a space that is about wellness.”

In episode #81 of Pulse Podcast, listen to Jason-Emery Groën describe the future of healthcare as plans continue for the new campus development site on Carling Avenue.

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What will the new trauma centre mean for patients?

How patients arrive at the new campus in emergency situations will also be a newly designed experience — one that’s intended to deliver care as quickly as possible. From dedicated access routes for ambulances to a rooftop helipad to state-of-the-art surgical suites and operating rooms with the most advanced technology, this will all contribute to a more streamlined ebb and flow for patients and staff.

Our hospital is home to the only Level 1 Trauma Centre for adults in eastern Ontario, serving 1.3 million, primarily in the Ottawa regions, but some coming from as far away as Nunavut, and the need for care continues to increase. Over the last five years, there has been an approximate 40% increase in trauma codes activated by the team, with falls and motor vehicle collisions as the leading causes of injuries.

For Dr. Edmund Kwok — the Deputy Head of Quality, Safety & Performance in the Department of Emergency Medicine at The Ottawa Hospital — the new efficient flow of the Trauma Centre will be a game changer for this team.

“We’re in the early stages of planning, but part of that includes trying to understand from a care perspective what’s the most effective, efficient way to deliver the care for these patients,” says Dr. Kwok. “That includes things like proximity to key resources like CT scans and operating rooms.”

The plan for new surgical suites is an interventional platform, meaning it will bring together surgical suites and radiology all on a single floor. “That is fundamental to the core of the services delivered in a trauma centre,” explains Jason-Emery. “A lot of advancements are happening in that sphere of healthcare. For example, hybrid operating rooms with space built in for diagnostic imaging to take place right in the room. So, the design needs to be flexible for future technological changes.”

Intentional design that considers the patient and their loved ones

As Dr. Kwok explains, time is of the essence when seconds matter, so deliberate design is key for the trauma centre. “We want a design where patients will flow through with as little physical movement as possible. We’re also looking at how people interact with the space around the patient. For example, how do we design the placement of equipment in the trauma bay? When the patient does need to be moved, how do we seamlessly move not only the patient but also their whole care team?”

“I think we have the ingredients for a real world-leading trauma centre here. I think this is a foundational piece to attract talent. It will have a kind of domino effect where people are excited and they will want to come and learn and practice.”

– Dr. Edmund Kwok

Also considered in the planning will be the patient’s family and loved ones. Whether they arrive with the patient via ambulance or on their own, these loved ones are anxious for information. “It can be quite stressful for those loved ones,” explains Dr. Kwok. “We need to provide them with a quiet, private space where our social workers and other team members can communicate with them — away from the hectic action that is happening in the trauma bay. Those are important pieces that we need to think about.”

From the physical design of the new trauma centre to the human factor considerations for patients, staff, and families, there will be a long-term impact. “I think we have the ingredients for a real world-leading trauma centre here. I think this is a foundational piece to attract talent. It will have a kind of domino effect where people are excited and they will want to come and learn and practice,” says Dr. Kwok.

How will single-patient rooms change the patient experience?

For patients who are admitted to the hospital, the new campus experience will be transformational. The most significant change will be single-patient rooms — this is becoming the gold standard for new hospitals around the world.

“This has been part of the communication and engagement with many community members. Imagine seeing the land and the sky simultaneously — it is important for many cultures. Just having the ability to see that, frankly for anyone, we think is fantastic.”

– Jason-Emery Groën

When you enter the patient room, you will see full-length windows, intentionally giving patients an unobstructed view from their bed of the sky to the ground. It seems simple, but this is an important part of the wellness journey. “This has been part of the communication and engagement with many community members. Imagine seeing the land and the sky simultaneously — it is important for many cultures. Just having the ability to see that, frankly for anyone, we think is fantastic,” says Jason-Emery.

Giving patients greater control over their environment is also an important design consideration. For example, the design team is exploring the possibility of using “smart glass” to build in more customization. The specialized glass can darken or turn opaque, allowing a patient to adjust the amount of light coming into the room with the touch of a button.

There will be a bedside terminal integrated with a digital smart screen that will allow staff, patient, and their loved ones to track health information. It will also help keep patients connected with people outside the hospital.

A key design element of the patient room also includes the private washroom and the patient’s ability to move in and out of it. “This is quite an innovative design,” explains Jason-Emery. “We are studying a double-door system that slides open to provide four times the amount of clearance and access to the space than is typical in a hospital patient washroom. This is important in terms of thinking about the need for healthcare moving forward, an increasingly elderly population with mobility challenges. So being able to widen that access in a way that still is discreet and promotes its privacy is being factored into the design.”

While each patient room will include space for a loved one to spend the night comfortably, family lounges are being designed as well. “It’s also about families having appropriate spaces to gather,” explains Jason-Emery. “Even though we’ve created a single-patient room, that doesn’t mean it can accommodate a large family or gathering. Even beyond that, what if a family might have a particular ceremony they wish to partake in? Could they smudge, for example, or partake in other cultural activities?”

How will the new campus prioritize accessibility?

While the patient rooms will be fully accessible, the new hospital campus will be a welcoming place for everyone. “Accessibility has been embedded into all aspects of the design process of this project,” explains Marnie Peters, the accessibility expert for the new hospital campus.

It goes beyond the washroom in the patient’s room with the double sliding doors and the direct route from the patient’s bed to the toilet or the roll-in shower. “We want every washroom to be accessible. So, anybody — staff, visitors, patients — can use any bathroom. This is a basic human need,” explains Marnie.

Another key factor is making sure all spaces are accessible for people using mobility devices and other health equipment. There’s also the consideration of clear directional signage that’s easy for people to understand. Marnie explains that asking a patient to follow the red dots to get where they need to go might not be possible for someone who is colour blind or has low or no vision. “So, we’re going to look at different strategies for signage and wayfinding, and how that works together. This will complement the seamless architecture in terms of direct and intuitive routes and making it easy for people to find their destination,” says Marnie.

Even arriving at the hospital will provide patients, their families, and staff with more ease when it comes to accessibility. There will be 72 accessible parking spaces, including a large number that will be van-accessible parking spots, and 144 limited mobility parking spaces — which are meant for those who might not need a larger accessible spot, but still need closeness to the entry.

“It's an honor and a pleasure to be working with a really talented group of people, but also to be able to make sure that this premier hospital will be fully inclusive for everybody in the community.”

– Marnie Peters

Another new aspect of the design will be exterior moving sidewalks to help reduce fatigue and allow people to get to their destinations with less stress. As the detailed design process continues, Marnie will be there with a specific focus to create a welcoming environment for all. “It’s an honour and a pleasure to be working with a really talented group of people, but also to be able to make sure that this premier hospital will be fully inclusive for everybody in the community.”

The future is closer than ever

While the design work continues and the early construction phase moves forward, the pieces are starting to take shape. The future home of the new campus offers an incredible opportunity to provide the space for state-of-the-art care and recovery for patients. Research will also be a vital component — our world-leading research will be integrated into every aspect of the campus. This gives patients access to innovative and potentially life-saving therapies — building on the successes we’ve seen to date. The impact of what happens inside will have a ripple effect through the region, across the country, and around the world. Ultimately, patients will be the ones who see the real benefit.

As we head into the 100th anniversary of the Civic Campus next year, we are once again building a hospital for future generations. But this time, it will pave the way for a transformation of healthcare unlike anything we’ve seen before. For Dr. Kwok, it means having a building that matches the capabilities of the incredibly talented people working there. “I think it’s time for Ottawa to have a re-design, a bigger hospital, and trauma centre for sure. We will need the capacity physically to deal with what’s asked of us. So, it will be great for the city, for the region.”

Categories: New Campus Development, New Campus Development, New Campus Development, Patient Care

In 2021, when Kathryn Tremblay received the CEO of the year award in Ottawa, she was asked what her billboard sign would read. “What’s possible?” was her answer. Those two words — that simple question — have helped guide her professionally and personally over the years.

As co-founder and CEO of Canada’s leading independent staffing firm, Altis Recruitment, Kathryn grew the company from the ground up with her business partner, Toni Guimaraes. The pair were in their early 20s when they started the company in an apartment in the Byward Market with no employees, but they had big dreams.

Kathryn Tremblay is the co-founder and CEO of Canada’s leading independent staffing firm, Altis Recruitment

Over the years, their business prospered, their relationship grew, and they welcomed four daughters. In 2016, Kathryn and her family were devastated when Toni passed away from advanced prostate cancer. He was just 51 years old.

Those two words, which had helped Toni and Kathryn build their business into the success that it was, would now hold new meaning. “After Toni passed away, I had to reimagine what was possible for me. When we were starting out, we looked at what’s possible as entrepreneurs, and what’s possible to become great employers,” explains Kathryn. “But the distinction there is that once I was on my own, it was different.”

When it came time to redefine what was possible, she explored what it’s like to be an equitable employer, a single mom, as well as an ally for diversity. “It’s how you light up that possibility for others,” says Kathryn.

Kathryn Tremblay with her four daughters.

“I’d encourage anyone to get involved at any level that you can. That financial contribution will mean a new, well-designed, state-of-the-art facility that will make a difference to you as you age, and it will make a difference to your children and grandchildren. I think of it as a kind of generational give back.”

— Kathryn Tremblay

Devoted parents instill desire to help others

Philanthropy also plays an important role in this business leader’s life, and The Ottawa Hospital is a charity close to Kathryn’s heart. Giving is a quality she learned as a young girl growing up in Orleans. “I had extremely devoted parents. We didn’t have a lot financially, but emotionally, in my home, it was a special place,” she recalls. “My parents told me every day they believed in me. Telling me, ‘We stand with you, we stand behind you, we’re here to lift you up.’ And on a difficult day, my dad would be the person who’d come to sit with me and give me some encouragement.”

Kathryn utilized that encouragement as a springboard to help others. “It’s not enough for me to be grateful for what I have. But it’s about how I can show that gratitude towards others, like newcomers to our country, to The Ottawa Hospital or Christie Lake Kids, which was where my husband went as an underprivileged child. And when you give, you get back because you’re making a difference to someone else.”

On May 24, 2022, Kathryn combined her love of art and desire to give back to support our hospital through Art for Impact. It was a week-long online auction featuring a wide range of art from 21 local artists. All proceeds supported the Campaign to Create Tomorrow, and the event raised more than $25,000.

“When you’re attracting talent, you need great schools and state-of-the-art healthcare. So those two things are almost like the pillars that lift the possibility of wanting to live here in Ottawa.”

– Kathryn Tremblay

“What a great opportunity to give back to the next generation.”

Thankfully, Kathryn’s interest in the Campaign didn’t stop there. She’s donated $200,000 to the Campaign in support of the new campus development on Carling Avenue and world-leading research.

“The hospital and the new campus are a major pillar for our entire city,” says Kathryn. “I’d encourage anyone to get involved at any level that you can. That financial contribution will mean a new, well-designed, state-of-the-art facility that will make a difference to you as you age, and it will make a difference to your children and grandchildren. I think of it as a kind of generational give back.”

When it came time to consider a gift to the Campaign, Kathryn just had to look to those around her — starting with her four daughters, who were all born at the Civic Campus — and to her late husband. “We needed so much around us in terms of advisors and a team of doctors,” she explains. “I felt they really cared to save my husband’s life. Now, he had very advanced and aggressive cancer, so that was not to be, but the effort that the entire team put into trying to save his life was special. That would be the primary reason why I give.”

But she also looks at what’s possible for healthcare in the future. “I would like to see that our city has something new and modern. And when you think of the aging population, we have this 100-year-old hospital — doesn’t it make sense that the hospital is modernized?” And when Kathryn puts her CEO hat back on, there are big possibilities as well. “When you’re attracting talent, you need great schools and state-of-the-art healthcare. So those two things are almost like the pillars that lift the possibility of wanting to live here in Ottawa.”

Download episode 79 and listen to Kathryn Tremblay talk about what’s possible for the future of healthcare.

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Published: March 2023

The search for the silver bullet for sepsis has been decades in the making. However, The Ottawa Hospital is taking a big step forward in the next phase of a world-first clinical trial using stem cells in patients with septic shock — not so much a silver bullet, but a seed that could lead to future innovative treatment options and impact millions of patients. The hope is to not only save more lives but also improve the quality of life of those who do survive this devastating illness.

Sepsis is caused by our own body’s response to infection. When that infection spreads through the blood stream and over-activates the immune and coagulation systems, it can cause the heart and other organs to fail. Sepsis is associated with a death rate from 20% to 40% and upwards from that, depending on the patient. Survivors of this devastating condition often have their quality of life impacted and often for the long term. Sepsis knows no borders and impacts people globally.

World-Leading Research

Each year, sepsis affects 49 million people worldwide. But researchers here at The Ottawa Hospital are working to make an impact with a world-first clinical trial exploring the use of mesenchymal stem cells to treat septic shock.

What is Sepsis?

Sepsis occurs when the body has an extreme, life-threatening response to an infection. The infection includes bacteria that enter the blood stream, triggering a chain reaction during which the patient’s immune system response damages its own tissues, potentially leading to organ failure and death.

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Dr. Lauralyn McIntyre is an intensive care unit (ICU) physician and senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital, and it’s her care of critically ill patients that has motivated her research into sepsis. Over the years, she’s witnessed the debilitating impact it can have on patients and their families. “It’s why I’m doing this research. As researchers, we love science. We love posing questions and the thinking that goes with these questions, and we love the answering those scientific questions. But the main reason we’re doing research is to help patients,” says Dr. McIntyre. “If there’s some way we can just move that needle to help these patients and their families, that just means so much.”

The global impact of sepsis

Sepsis is recognized as a global health priority. It’s estimated there are 48.9 million cases of sepsis annually and 11 million sepsis-related deaths — those account for almost 20% of global deaths. It is also the leading cause of death among COVID-19 patients.

To put that in perspective, a study published in 2021 led by researchers at The Ottawa Hospital and ICES (Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences) showed that severe sepsis is linked with higher mortality, increased hospital readmission, and higher healthcare costs. In Ontario alone, sepsis related costs are estimated at $1 billion per year.

“It’s the complexity of the infection and the challenge that drew me to the research, but also knowing the potential to really help patients and see if we can make them better.”

– Dr. Lauralyn McIntyre

According to Dr. McIntyre, sepsis is the most common reason why patients are admitted to ICUs. “They account for about 20% of the cases in the ICU at our hospital. From a provincial glance, over a four-year period, there were 270,000 cases of patients that were admitted to hospitals in Ontario for infection — about 30% had the more severe form of sepsis, with infection plus organ failure which amounts to about 67,500 patients a year in Ontario alone – it’s staggering,” explains Dr. McIntyre.

These data are a key motivator to learn more about sepsis and how to treat it. “It’s the complexity of the infection and the challenge that drew me to the research, but also knowing the potential to help patients and see if we can make them better,” says Dr. McIntyre.

Putting a face to the impact of the infection

Ten years ago, sepsis changed the life of Christine Caron — a single, working mother with four children who, at the time, ranged in age from 15 to 24. Throughout the winter and spring of 2013, she hadn’t been feeling well. Then in late May, while playing tug-of-war with her four dogs, her left hand was accidentally nipped. “It wasn’t a serious bite, just a break in the skin. I had no redness or pain, so I washed it out and disinfected the area,” recalls Christine.

Four days later when Christine was at work, she realized she hadn’t gone to the bathroom all day — eventually she learned this was because her kidneys were shutting down. The following day, she set out for a morning run. “I was winded and had to walk home but felt better after a shower. Later that day, I had terrible stomach pain — like someone had punched me in the stomach — and felt disoriented. I went home and slept. My son woke me up at one point to say I was breathing funny, but I assured him I was fine and fell back to sleep. I was shocked when I woke up and realized how long I had been asleep,” says Christine.

Christine Caron is a survivor of sepsis.

She remembers feeling agitated and more symptoms developed, including sweating despite feeling cold and becoming very thirsty. She went to a local urgent care centre, but it was closed. “I had no idea how sick I was, and the thought of sitting in an emergency department was overwhelming. I decided if I wasn’t feeling better in the morning that I would go to the hospital then.” 

Later that night, while her children slept, she became very sick — flu-like symptoms as she describes it. “I lay on the bathroom floor, probably ‘till three in the morning. I thought about calling an ambulance, but I didn’t want to wake up my family,” says Christine. “I wasn’t thinking clearly. I now know this was delirium.”

The next morning, a friend took Christine to a local hospital. “I was dizzy, I could barely breathe. I handed my health card to the attending nurse and then I collapsed,” explains Christine.

Christine wouldn’t regain consciousness for a month. On June 13, she woke up at the Civic Campus of The Ottawa Hospital to learn the devastating news of what sepsis had done to her body. This was when she heard about septic shock for the first time. “I had bronchitis that progressed to walking pneumonia. It was this condition that compromised my immune system resulting in the reaction to the bacteria when I was nipped by my dog. It quickly escalated to septic shock.”

As it would turn out, the sepsis infection had caused irreparable damage. By June 22, Christine began a series of surgeries to amputate her legs, her left arm, and remove dead tissue from her remaining limb and her face — changing her life forever. Little did she know at the time, but this set her on a path of becoming a voice for sepsis survivors. By early July, she was released from the hospital and would learn a new way of life at our Rehabilitation Centre, where she learned to walk again and received support for PTSD. Today, Christine is an active advocate for sepsis survivors, awareness, and for research.

Christine with her dogs.

Christine with her family.

Moving the needle for sepsis treatment

For decades, there has been little progress in advancing specific treatment for sepsis, but world-first research at our hospital shows that a specific type of stem cells may be the key to helping balance out the body’s immune system to improve its response to sepsis. Laboratory studies and early clinical trial results were so promising that Dr. McIntyre’s research was awarded $2.3 million from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Stem Cell Network to begin a larger trial. “Researchers around the world have spent decades trying to find new therapies for septic shock, but so far nothing has improved survival, nor the quality of life for survivors of this devastating illness,” says Dr. McIntyre. “We urgently need new treatments for septic shock and to test them in randomized controlled trials like this one.”

This injection of funds will allow the team to expand the trial to 10 centres across Canada to see whether the stem cells can reduce patients’ needs for organ support in the ICU.

For Dr. McIntyre, this research, which is a huge collaboration among hospital colleagues, including Drs. Duncan Stewart, Dean Fergusson, and Shirley Mei, as well as colleagues throughout Canada and abroad. It provides hope that years of dedication to this mysterious illness may finally move the needle forward for sepsis treatment. “These stem cells hold, in my opinion, immense therapeutic promise for the treatment of sepsis, because these cells act through many mechanisms that relate to sepsis. Not only do they recognize and ultimately kill the bugs causing the infection, but they also calm the immune and blood-clotting responses that our body has to the infection,” explains Dr. McIntyre.

“I see this trial as the very first beginning — it’s a little bud, and we’re just going to grow from it.”

– Dr. Lauralyn McIntyre

And while Dr. McIntyre says her research has shown these cells have other benefits, such as restoring energy to the tissues, and reducing vessel leakiness and the swelling that goes with it, treating sepsis is still an enormously complex problem. “We can’t expect that there’s a silver bullet that’s going to completely cure sepsis, but from what we have learned so far, these cells have the potential to make a real dent in the immense death from sepsis, and we hope will improve the quality of life for survivors of this devastating illness.”

The “little bud” that will grow into future sepsis research

This clinical trial is just the starting point to learn more about this deadly infection, and the results will help inform future trials. As the research advances, and more is learned about how the body responds to these cells during sepsis, it will help identify future patients that may have the most to benefit. “So, I see this trial as the very beginning — it’s a little bud and we’re just going to grow from it,” explains Dr. McIntyre.

The growth of this research has been cultivated by what Dr. McIntyre describes as a major collaborative team approach. It includes researchers, both basic and clinical, cell manufacturing experts, trainees, project managers, clinicians, and nurses, as well as patient and family partners, and sepsis survivors, like Christine, who is the lead patient partner. “Working with these patient partners has just been illuminating about post-sepsis survivorship. People like Christine have been so helpful in enabling us to understand the need to study more about the survivorship of these patients and their families, and the quality of that survival,” explains Dr. McIntyre.

“Sepsis took so much from me — it scarred me in so many ways. We need to advocate and educate because sepsis does not discriminate.”

– Christine Caron

There’s a mutual admiration between the two women, who have each seen sepsis through a very different lens. Christine is thrilled to have her voice heard and to see that needle move forward. “Dr. McIntyre’s research is phenomenal because a lot of patients come out with organ damage, and stem cell research could save so much for so many people. Wouldn’t it be so wonderful if it did?” Christine adds, “Sepsis took so much from me — it scarred me in so many ways. We need to advocate and educate because sepsis does not discriminate.”

“If there's something that we can do to reduce death and help how patients survive this immense illness, we’ve just got to go there.”

– Dr. Lauralyn McIntyre

And so, for Dr. McIntyre, it’s those faces she sees in the ICU and those like Christine, who work alongside her, that continue to motivate her with each step forward in the search for answers in this challenging puzzle of sepsis. “If there’s something that we can do to reduce death and help how patients survive this immense illness, we’ve just got to go there.”

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research, and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.

Categories: Patient Care, Patient Care, Patient Care, Patient Care, Stem Cell

Published: December 2022

Content warning: Graphic description, in his own words, of the injuries he sustained.

Travis Vaughan shares the story of the night of December 18, 2019, when he arrived by air ambulance to The Ottawa Hospital Trauma Centre after a snowmobile crash in rural Ottawa that left him with life-threatening injuries. This is Travis’ story, told in his own words, about how our orthopaedic trauma team was ready to save his life.

It was a late afternoon on a Wednesday in December, and we just received our first real snowfall of the season. I was excited to get home from work to take the snowmobile out. My wife would be home from work soon, so I wasn’t planning on staying out long — just a quick loop and back home for the night. There was still light in the sky, but we were inching closer to the shortest day of the year.

I was on my way back — about 300 yards from the house — when the snowmobile hit a patch of very rough ground under the snow. As soon as the skis hit the frozen furrows of ground, the front end of the snowmobile broke apart. The machine rolled, taking me with it.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. While in the air, I remember being confused as to why the snowmobile suddenly upset, then I hit the ground hard.

The New Campus Development

The Ottawa Hospital’s new campus will be home to the most advanced trauma centre in eastern Ontario, ensuring patients like Travis benefit from exceptional care when they need it.

“I’m grateful that through all of this, I was able to stay calm and keep my breathing steady, thanks to the reassuring support coming from the other end of the phone.”

– Travis Vaughan

Initially I didn’t think I was any worse for wear, until I looked down. My leg was torn wide open, and my femur was completely exposed — there was a lot of blood, but no pain. My adrenaline kicked in immediately. Luckily, I had stuffed my cellphone in my pocket and was able to dial 911. I explained to the calm voice of the operator that I was lying alone in a field just north of Almonte. She asked several questions, and I conveyed the severity of the situation, explaining my left leg was dangling and nearly detached. I was trying to make a tourniquet, but didn’t have a belt and wasn’t able to get my waist band torn out of my snow pants. I was acutely aware the situation was dire — if help didn’t arrive quickly, things would likely not end well. I remember her telling me there was all kinds of help on the way, and the Ornge air ambulance had been dispatched.

My hands started to numb from the bitter cold, and I wanted to call my wife, but the operator insisted I stay on the line until help arrived. I’m grateful that through all of this, I was able to stay calm and keep my breathing steady, thanks to the reassuring support coming from the other end of the phone.

Desperate for help to arrive

Unfortunately, the cold air caused my phone to die, cutting me off from the 911 operator. Sitting alone I remember thinking — you’re 32-years-old, this isn’t how it’s supposed to end. It was a surreal feeling. Strangely, it wasn’t scary — a warm calm sort of settled over my body. I remember thinking either I was going to hear sirens and see help coming, or I wasn’t, and this would be it. I started to think about my wife and family, and all the happy milestones I would miss.

But my next thought was different — and it hit me like a train — if I didn’t survive this, it would be my wife and family left to pick up the pieces, not me. I was furious with myself for succumbing to self pity while not thinking of how devastating and difficult this would be for my loved ones. This was the most intense thought I’ve ever experienced. From that moment on, I was going to give everything I had left to live; putting one hand in front of the other, I began to crawl. The next thing I knew, our dog came running towards me across the field. He looked at me with a what-did-you-do expression. He knew I was in trouble and stayed by my side as I slowly dragged myself home.

My wife, Jenn, and my brother, Tyler, who was living with us at the time, were both at home by the time I got to the house. I pushed open the door, and my wife turned and looked at me. I can still see the shock on her face. She came running towards me, grabbed me a belt and covered me with a blanket, before going to find my brother for help.

“From that moment on, I was going to give everything I had left to live, putting one hand in front of the other, I began to crawl.”

– Travis Vaughan

Tyler raced to make a tourniquet to help ease the blood loss; not many people could have done that, and I’m here because of it. Soon, the emergency responders started to arrive and they applied a proper tourniquet, started fluids, and worked to stabilize me. I was loaded into the ambulance — time was of the essence, so they quickly transported me to the awaiting air ambulance. The pilot had tried to land in the yard, however, due to trees and uneven ground, he had to set the helicopter down on the road. My memory starts to get a little fuzzy here, I’m so grateful to my wife, brother, the police officers, paramedics, and firefighters for the role they played in saving my life.

“When I say a team, it’s no exaggeration — my family told me there were close to 20 professionals ready and waiting. It was powerful to witness, and it’s not lost on me that because I was at a Level 1 Trauma Centre, I had immediate access to any equipment necessary. This level of care is unbelievable.”

– Travis Vaughan

Unbelievable care awaited me at the Trauma Centre

When we landed at The Ottawa Hospital’s Civic Campus a full team awaited me. When I say a team, it’s no exaggeration — my family told me there were close to 20 professionals ready and waiting. It was powerful to witness, and it’s not lost on me that because I was at a Level 1 Trauma Centre, I had immediate access to any equipment necessary. This level of care is unbelievable. 

The team had received details of my injury while I was in the air. I remember feeling the first sigh of relief when we arrived — I was in good hands. My family was also in good hands, and that was equally comforting to hear afterwards. My wife received a phone call from a physician on the way to the hospital explaining what had already been done and what was planned. When my mother, sister, and wife arrived at the hospital, they were met by a social worker who was exceptional and again briefed them on all that was going on.

“It was my wife and brother that gave me my first fighting chance to live. Now, it was up to the trauma team to do the rest.”

– Travis Vaughan

It still amazes me to this day that I remember so much about that experience. I recall the faces of the trauma team as they did a full evaluation to determine if there were any other injuries. Each person acted quickly and concisely to get answers. I remember a CT scan showed I didn’t have any head trauma and my neck was fine — but I was hypothermic because of the extent of time I was outside.

The damage to my femur and surrounding tissue was extensive and critical. I recall someone saying the tourniquet Tyler put on my leg is likely the reason I made it to the hospital alive — it was my wife and brother that gave me my first fighting chance to live. Now, it was up to the trauma team to do the rest.

What is trauma care like at The Ottawa Hospital today?

The Ottawa Hospital and its Trauma Centre at the Civic Campus are responsible for 1.3 million residents, ranging from as far west as Pembroke to as far east as Hawkesbury.

What is trauma care like at The Ottawa Hospital today?

We’re the only Level 1 Trauma Centre for adults in eastern Ontario.

What is trauma care like at The Ottawa Hospital today?

The Civic Emergency Department was renovated in 2003 to treat 60,000 patients a year, today treats over 90,000 a year, and we project that by 2030, we will need to treat more than 120,000 a year.

Orthopaedic trauma team gave me a chance at a full recovery

Getting the femur positioned back in my leg was going to be the first, and very painful, thing to do. Dr. Allan Liew, Director of Orthopaedic Trauma, was the lead, and I remember an orthopaedic resident was with me — standing right by my head. They explained how they had to try and put my femur back in my leg. The resident had a good sense of humour, which really helped in that moment, and he said to me, “Ok, this is going to suck.”

And it really did, but it had to be done to help put me on the right path to recovery. Later that night, once I was stabilized, Dr. Liew took me into surgery. I had a debridement — which is basically a thorough cleaning of the wound — and that’s when they realized there was some bone loss from the accident. What I mean by that is a piece of my femur was missing — still back in the field. So, my leg had to be stabilized with pins and bars just above the knee.

This whole surgery was crucial to reduce the risk of infection, and Dr. Liew did an incredible job with what he had to work with. That first surgery was critical in setting me up for a successful recovery.

I returned to the operating room on December 21 for another debridement, which gave my surgeons the chance to reassess how the tissues were doing, as well as the bone. Then four days later, on Christmas Eve, I had a third surgery — a definitive fix, as it was called. A plate and screws were used to stabilize my femur, but also, the surgical team needed to start the process to build back the missing bone. A block of bone cement was placed in the area where the bone was missing. Amazingly, the body will start to form a healing membrane around the cement, and six to eight weeks later I would return to have the block removed and a bone graft placed inside the membrane.

Orthopaedic trauma team gave me a chance at a full recovery

Finally, after 10 days in hospital, I was able to go home. While I missed Christmas with my family, they were always present at the hospital. Staff also went the extra mile to celebrate Christmas with me. I was lucky to be alive and hopeful The Ottawa Hospital’s specialist were setting me up for a full recovery. But my journey wasn’t over — one more big surgery awaited me.

‘Superman’ surgeon leaves a lasting impression

That’s when I would meet Dr. Geoff Wilkin — or as I refer to him, Superman. He’s an orthopaedic surgeon who would lead that final surgery. Initially, the plan was for a short, routine surgery for bone grafting. However, after reviewing the imaging he wasn’t pleased with how my leg was healing and decided he wanted to re-align the femur — a redo if you will. Admittedly, I was shocked by this news. I had mentally prepared for a brief procedure, and now I was in for a six-hour surgery. But the truth was, I was having difficulty bending my knee, and Dr. Wilkin explained this was the best opportunity to get it right. If this wasn’t fixed properly, I would face a lifetime of issues that would impact my quality of life.

“Dr. Wilkin’s thoroughness and determination gave me the best chance at a future with a fully functional leg. He went so far past the extra mile to give me the best opportunity at recovery. He's given me a second lease on life — I will be forever grateful for that.”

– Travis Vaughan

On February 13, 2020 — just before COVID-19 hit our city — I was back in the operating room. Mine was a complex case. First, Dr. Wilkin had to remove that cement spacer in my femur. Then, he realigned the femur into a better position and attached two new plates to it. Up next was the bone grafting, where bone was harvested from my pelvis and placed in my thigh.

Dr. Wilkin’s thoroughness and determination gave me the best chance at a future with a fully functional leg. He went so far past the extra mile to give me the best opportunity at recovery. He’s given me a second lease on life — I will be forever grateful for that.

On to the best part. Thanks to the team that was waiting for me the night of the accident and those I would meet in the days and weeks ahead, including a long list of amazing nurses, I’m doing well. I don’t know that I’ll be skiing in the Rockies or running a marathon, but I was around to experience something far better. In October 2021, my wife and I welcomed our first child, a daughter. I now can chase her around the playground and enjoy any other activities she chooses to pursue growing up.

I’m beyond lucky to live in a city with access to the world-class care I received that cold December night. While my life hung in the balance, the trauma team was ready for me, and that’s something I will never forget.

Dr. Geoff Wilkin

“There are two important time points in acute orthopaedic trauma care. There's the initial time of injury, when we are focused on stabilizing measures to save life and limb. But the second, and bigger, piece of my job is putting people’s injuries back together as perfectly as possible to maximize their recovery and their return to function. My goal is to get people back to the level of activity they had before their injury — that's what we are always striving for with any injured patient.

Travis was one of those guys that every time I saw him, he was doing better and better. Despite everything he went through, his positive attitude and determination to get better never failed. Today, he's doing really well — he is enjoying an active life with his young family and his injury is largely a thing of the past. It feels great to have helped him get there.”

Learn more about Dr. Geoff Wilkin

Download episode #72 of Pulse Podcast to hear Travis Vaughan reunited with his orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Geoff Wilkin.

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Categories: Trauma

Published: January 2023

In late 2019, Camille Leahy was excited about the future. She was ready to embark on a new work adventure after quitting her job of 17 years. However, that all changed in January 2020 when she started feeling unwell and was in a great deal of pain. Camille went to the emergency department closest to her home in Newmarket, knowing something just wasn’t right. The next day, she received a devastating diagnosis — acute lymphoblastic leukemia. It was the start of a rollercoaster journey that eventually led her to a Canadian-first CAR T-cell therapy clinical trial taking place at The Ottawa Hospital.

With barely any time to digest the news of her cancer diagnosis, the 35-year-old learned she needed to begin treatment right away. She was referred to Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto and admitted as soon as a bed was available. “From there, I started a month of treatment that consisted of intense chemotherapy to get me into remission. The goal was to then continue maintenance therapy for a couple of years, which would include chemotherapy, steroids, and other medications,” explains Camille.

World-Leading Research

Our made-in-Canada CAR T-cell therapy clinical trial is bringing new hope to people like Camille, who have cancer. Our Campaign to Create Tomorrow will advance more lifesaving research like this and strengthen Ottawa’s position as a global research powerhouse.

With this sudden diagnosis and the immediate requirement for treatment, it meant the single mom couldn’t start her new job — now she was also without employment. “At that point, we just had to worry about saving my life,” says Camille.

Shocking news after rounds of treatment

After 30 days in hospital and all set to go home, Camille received another blow. The treatment didn’t work, and there were still cancer cells lingering. Her medical team needed to try another option — and right away. This time, Camille was put on an immunotherapy drug known as blinatumomab. After a second consecutive month in hospital, away from her daughter, there was a glimmer of hope — she was in remission.

However, she also learned the cancer would keep returning, so her team recommended a stem cell transplant as her best option. “That was shocking news for me,” says Camille.

“About eight months post stem cell transplant, I woke up with some neck pain. I didn't think anything of it, but unfortunately, blood work showed that the cancer returned, and it was aggressive.”

– Camille Leahy

By July 2020, she had undergone the stem cell transplant and spent another month in hospital, but this time, the world was in the midst of the pandemic — that meant her family, including her daughter, couldn’t visit. Camille was eventually discharged, but another hurdle was around the corner. “About eight months post stem cell transplant, I woke up with some neck pain,” explains Camille. “I didn’t think anything of it, but unfortunately, blood work showed that the cancer returned, and it was aggressive.”

“Have you heard about CAR T-cell therapy?”

It was now March 2021, and Camille was out of options. Her medical team recommended another chemotherapy protocol, but she just couldn’t do it. “When they started naming off the types of chemo involved, I broke down because it just sounded all too familiar to my first month, and that induction didn’t work,” recalls Camille. “Also, this time it was during a pandemic. At least when I was diagnosed in January, I had all my family and all my friends visiting every day. But this time around, I wasn’t going to be able to see my daughter, I wasn’t going to be able to have my friends and family as often as I wanted — maybe once a week. I just couldn’t do it without them, I wasn’t strong enough.”

That’s when she remembered CAR T-cell therapy had been mentioned at one point early on, so she asked her doctor about it. “I asked her, ‘Have you heard about CAR T-cell therapy?’ She confirmed there was a trial going on in Ottawa, and she decided to see if I would meet the criteria for it.”

Soon, Camille got the dose of good news she desperately needed – she was accepted into the trial, and she soon met Dr. Natasha Kekre, the principal investigator.

First made-in-Canada CAR T-cell therapy for cancer shows promise

More than a dozen people with cancer who had exhausted all treatment options are alive and cancer free today thanks to a pioneering, Canadian-first clinical trial. It uses a highly personalized kind of immunotherapy to help the patient’s T-cells recognize and kill their cancer. The results to date could open the door to a new era of made-in-Canada immunotherapies for cancer.

Patients in the trial, like Camille, have their immune cells (T-cells) removed and genetically engineered in a lab with a disarmed virus to produce synthetic molecules called “chimeric antigen receptors” (CAR). These new supercharged CAR T-cells, with their enhanced cancer-killing ability, are then infused back into the same patient.

What is the difference between a T‑cell and a CAR T‑cell?

T‑cells are a type of white blood cell, which play a critical role in the immune system. Originating in the bone marrow and maturing in the thymus — a small gland in the chest that’s part of the lymphatic system — T‑cells focus on attacking specific foreign particles, including bacteria, viruses, and other microbes.

CAR T‑cells are T‑cells that have been modified in a lab to fight cancer cells. First, T‑cells are removed from the patient, then they’re engineered to produce proteins on their surface called “chimeric antigen receptors,” or CARs. These proteins help the cells recognize and bind to proteins on the surface of cancer cells. Once engineered, the CAR T‑cells are reinfused into the patient to do their work.

Learn more about CAR T-cell therapy

While Health Canada has approved several commercial CAR T-cell therapies, access is currently restricted to people with just a few kinds of leukemia and lymphoma, and only if they fall into certain age ranges. Commercial CAR T-cell therapy is also very expensive and involves shipping cells to the United States and back.

This new trial is the first to manufacture CAR T-cell therapy in Canada. It uses a different kind of cell manufacturing that opens the door to less expensive and more equitable treatment.

“We’re very excited about the preliminary results of this trial, and we will be moving forward with new and exciting trials across Canada.”

– Dr. Natasha Kekre

“Canadian patients deserve access to the best cancer treatments in the world, and we need Canadian research to make this happen,” says Dr. Kekre, who, in addition to her leadership with this clinical trial is also a scientist and hematologist at The Ottawa Hospital. “We’re very excited about the preliminary results of this trial, and we will be moving forward with new and exciting trials across Canada.”

CAR-T trial provides one last shot

Camille’s cancer journey up until this point experienced many hurdles and that happened once again with the CAR-T clinical trial. During the first attempt, she was sent back home because she had a lung infection. By the second try, Camille was having some neurological symptoms that included her face going numb. “The medical team decided to investigate, and they did a lumbar puncture that showed the cancer had gone into my central nervous system and they hadn’t been able to detect that because there’s a blood-brain barrier. Again, I was sent home,” recalls Camille.

“Obviously when I was told that this was my last shot I was terrified. I knew there were risks, but my options were limited. I took a chance, but I also know how passionate Dr. Kekre is about this trial. I did a lot of research about CAR-T and how effective it was.”

– Camille Leahy

She would have to endure lumbar punctures twice weekly with chemotherapy to clear the cancer from the central nervous system — something Camille describes as “awful”, but she didn’t give up.

Finally, Camille got the green light for a third trip to Ottawa, but the day before she spiked a fever. She remembers telling her family, “I know that there’s a chance I might not be able to do it, but I’m going anyway.” Somehow, the fever cleared and finally the team was able to go ahead with the cell collection.

Two weeks later, on September 15, 2021, she had the CAR T-cells reinfused into her body — reprogrammed to now be able to recognize the cancer cells and kill them.

Camille and her daughter waited to see if, finally, they would get good news. “Obviously when I was told that this was my last shot, I was terrified,” explains Camille. “I knew there were risks, but my options were limited. I took a chance, but I also know how passionate Dr. Kekre is about this trial. I did a lot of research about CAR-T and how effective it was.”

Immunotherapy research changes lives

It has been a long and challenging journey for Camille, but she is truly grateful to the entire team at our hospital who were ready to care for her when she had run out of treatment options. It wasn’t until one year after Camille’s CAR T- cell treatment that she really started to believe she could get better. After so many hurdles during this cancer journey, she knew it would take time and wanted to give it a year.

By September 15, 2022, she felt like a new person, and was cancer-free. “I’m back to driving, I’m back to feeling as normal as I can. Obviously, there’s always the fear, but I couldn’t walk last year. I was using a cane and a walker. I struggled a lot. But this trial changed my life.”

“Even if the cancer comes back, this has given me precious time, and I know the research will help many others. It has given me a fighting chance.”

– Camille Leahy

As Camille and her daughter, Michela, are back to doing the mother-daughter things they love, Camille is also advocating for the research that saved her life with the end goal of giving more patients hope. She wants to make sure CAR T-cell therapy is available to others who face an uncertain future like she did. “For it to become more widely available in Canada would be incredible. The research team at The Ottawa Hospital made it possible for me to have this treatment done here in Canada. I didn’t have to raise money to try and leave the country to go get CAR T-cell treatment in the United States. My goal now is to tell my story so that they can continue to do this in Canada and can become more available to everyone here.”

Camille and her daughter at a Toronto Blue Jays game.

Camille and her daughter taking part in MudGirl.

Today, at age 38, Camille is easing back into life and thinking about the future. When her immune system is strong enough, she hopes to return to work. Right now, she enjoys the precious time and memories she’s been given the opportunity to make with her daughter, like driving her to school, taking her to baseball games, and watching her play soccer — moments she doesn’t take for granted. “Even if the cancer comes back, this has given me precious time, and I know the research will help many others. It has given me a fighting chance.”

Learn more about the Canadian-Led Immunotherapies in Cancer (CLIC) research program, funded by BioCanRx, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, BC Cancer, BC Cancer Foundation, the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research, the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada.

Download episode #75 of Pulse Podcast to hear Camille talk about why she’s become an advocate for cancer research.

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The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research, and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.

Categories: Cancer, Cancer, Clinical Trials

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