When Jim Whitehead’s wife, Pat, passed away, he consolidated the causes he wanted to support down to ten including The Ottawa Hospital. Through this future gift to our hospital, Jim and Pat’s love will continue by providing care and attention to patients in years to come.
Category: Patient Care
True love will continue through legacy gifts
“When I search for you, I never look too far. In every room, in every corner – there you are.”
Jim Whitehead wrote that poem to his late wife, Pat, after she passed away. The two had a magical connection that spanned almost their entire lives, including over 35 years of marriage.
Pat and Jim first met as young children in an Orangeville neighbourhood where Jim lived, and where Pat would visit relatives. Eventually, the pair went their separate ways, and over the course of about 20 years, they each married and had two children, all boys.
It wasn’t until they were in their mid-forties and both living in Ottawa, that their paths would cross again. “We became ‘simultaneously singlelized’ and reunited,” Jim remembers, as a smile stretches across his face.
Love reconnected
Their reconnection was instant. “We both were at a party in Barrhaven, hosted by a mutual friend. When I saw her, I knew that this moment was it.”
The rest, shall we say, is history. The couple married and built their life together in their cozy home near the Civic Campus of The Ottawa Hospital. They shared a love of music, art and travel, all of which is obvious when you look around their home. They also had a deep connection to their community – in fact, Pat generously supported 40 local charities.
After Pat passed away in January 2018, following a seven-year struggle with the effects of Alzheimer’s dementia, Jim decided to revisit the charities he and his late wife had supported.
Jim’s late wife, Patricia, pictured at their cozy home.
Legacy of their love
Ultimately, he decided to leave a gift in his will to 11 organizations, including The Ottawa Hospital. During his work years, Jim some spent time as an employee of the geriatric unit of the Civic Hospital, now the Civic Campus of The Ottawa Hospital. With the hospital being just a stone’s throw from his front steps, this gift was important to him. “My sons were born there and my two stepsons as well. I worked there, Pat and I were both cared for at the hospital, and I realized that I wanted to do more.”
As Jim sits in his living room, he still grieves for the loss of his beloved wife. However, Pat’s presence fills their home, with the special touches, from the addition she designed to the pictures that hang on the wall to the marionettes that she made herself. Jim reflects on their special bond, which was so strong that it brought the two back together. “We were well matched,” smiles Jim. He continues, “I had never loved or been loved as much, or as well, as with my Patricia.”
Jim’s gift will be a lasting legacy for not only him but also of Pat, and it will honour their deep love of their community and each other. Their love story will continue for generations by providing care and attention to patients in years to come.
The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research, and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.
Categories: Donors, Gift In Will, TOH Family
Excruciating chest pains woke Phyllis Holmes from a deep sleep. A trip to the emergency room revealed a twist in her small intestine. Doctors used an uncommon technique that involved leaving her abdomen clamped open for two days after surgery – it’s the reason Phyllis is alive today.
The first of many miracles
For 18 months Phyllis experienced on-and-off pain in her chest. Some episodes lasted for only a few minutes, while others lasted for several hours. Unable to pinpoint the cause of her pain, Phyllis’ doctor started an elimination process; sending her for various tests, including a visit to the University of Ottawa Heart Institute. When results revealed it wasn’t her heart that was causing such discomfort, doctors ordered a CT scan hoping it would provide some answers.
However, only a few days prior to her scheduled appointment, Phyllis jolted awake in excruciating pain. Lying next to her, concerned, was her husband, Brian Jackson, who insisted they pay a visit to the emergency room. Her pain persisted as they checked in at The Ottawa Hospital’s General Campus. Recognizing the severity of her pain, the admitting staff immediately put her in an examination room.
A life-threatening diagnosis
Dr. Guillaume Martel and Phyllis Holmes
After several tests, Phyllis underwent a CT scan. The results showed her life was on the line.
As Phyllis recalls her experience, she describes hearing only one thing – they would need to perform emergency surgery immediately. “That was all I heard,” said Phyllis. “We have to do emergency surgery or you may be faced with a life-threatening circumstance.”
What the CT scan revealed was a small twist in her intestine, causing her entire bowel to turn purple, almost black. “Her whole small intestine was dying,” said Phyllis’ surgeon, Dr. Guillaume Martel, “which is not survivable. But we got to her quickly, and that day, things lined up perfectly.”
Traditionally, with a bowel in such a condition, surgeons would have removed the section of the bowel that was compromised. However, in Phyllis’ case, almost her entire bowel was jeopardized. Removing such a large portion of her bowel would have reduced her to being fed through IV nutrition for the rest of her life.
A mid-surgery decision
Once Phyllis was in the operating room, doctors were able to more accurately assess the severity of the damage caused to her intestine. Some vitality in her bowel remained— an encouraging sign that there was a chance it could be saved. Rather than remove the intestine, they decided to leave her abdomen clamped open and wait.
For two days Phyllis lay sedated in the intensive care unit, her abdomen left open. Throughout that time, Brian recalls the nurses and doctors were attentive and compassionate, letting him know what was going on every step of the way. “I was always in the loop about what was going on,” said Brian, something that he was grateful for during a particularly emotional and stressful time.
“Leaving a patient open can be a form of damage control,” explained Dr. Martel. This technique relieved a lot of pressure in Phyllis’ abdomen, allowing time to see whether her bowel would survive. However, it can be difficult for a doctor to know if this technique will work for one patient over another. Luckily, in Phyllis’ case, it did.
The wait was over
When Phyllis was brought back to the operating room for her second surgery, Dr. Balaa, the surgeon, told Brian what to expect. It could be a long procedure, where they would remove part of her intestine, and in its place attach a colostomy bag. Brian settled in for a long and stressful wait, unsure of what life might be like once Phyllis’ surgery was complete. But less than an hour later, Dr. Balaa appeared with incredible news.
When they took off the covering, a sheet that protected her abdomen while she lay clamped open, her intestine was healthy and back to normal again. To their amazement, her intestine remained viable and all they needed to do was stitch her back up.
Recovery period
The next morning Phyllis woke to Brian’s warm smile at her bedside. While she was unaware of the incredible turn of events, she was grateful to be alive.
She remained at the hospital for a week after the first surgery. While she recovered, Phyllis recalls receiving exceptional care. “The doctors always had so much time for me when they did their rounds,” said Phyllis. “They were very patient and engaged in my situation, it was heartwarming and wonderful.” Phyllis was so grateful, she wanted to show her appreciation.
Showing Gratitude
Dr. Guillaume Martel was part of a team that saved Phyllis’ life.
That’s when Phyllis heard of the Gratitude Award Program. This program was developed as a thoughtful way for patients to say thank you to the caregivers who go above and beyond to provide extraordinary care, every day. It’s a way for patients, like Phyllis, to recognize caregivers by giving a gift in their honour to The Ottawa Hospital. The caregivers are presented with a Gratitude Award pin and a special message from the patient letting them know the special care given did not go unnoticed.
Honouring Dr. Martel and several others through the Gratitude Award Program was a meaningful way for Phyllis to say thank you. “I wanted to be able to give something in return,” said Phyllis.
Dr. Martel was touched by the gesture. “When you receive a pin from a patient like Phyllis, it’s very gratifying,” explained Dr. Martel. “It’s something you can feel good about receiving.”
A healing experience
Phyllis’ journey at The Ottawa Hospital was far more than an emergency room visit and two surgeries. When asked to reflect on her experience, she tells a story of compassionate care and healing, both physically and mentally. “I felt that even though I was there to heal physically, I was getting psychological support as well,” Phyllis explained. “Everyone would use eye contact, or they’d touch my hand with compassion. It was very personal. I saw the divinity in those people,” explained Phyllis. “I saw it. I experienced it first-hand. And it is healing. That is the healing that takes place when you have those very special encounters. It heals you.”
Today, Phyllis feels incredibly grateful for the care she received at The Ottawa Hospital. “It was second to none,” she said.
Dr. Guillaume Martel
In August 2019, Dr. Guillaume Martel was announced as the first Arnie Vered Family Chair in Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Research. Dr. Martel is a gifted surgeon at The Ottawa Hospital who has saved and prolonged the lives of countless patients, particularly those with cancer. An international search conducted for this Research Chair found the best candidate right here in Ottawa. This Research Chair provides the opportunity for innovative clinical trials and cutting-edge surgical techniques that will benefit our patients for years to come. This was made possible through the generous support of the Vered Family, alongside other donors.
“When Arnie got sick, he needed to travel to Montreal for treatment. It was so hard for him to be away from home and our six children. We wanted to help make it possible for people to receive treatment right here in Ottawa. This Chair is an important part of his legacy.” – Liz Vered, donor
The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research, and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.
Categories: Gratitude Award, Innovation and Technology
Update: It is with heavy hearts that we share that Saila Kipanek passed away on Friday, March 25, 2022 in Iqaluit. Saila had a huge impact on the Indigenous Cancer Program at our hospital and on many of our staff. We are deeply saddened by his loss and offer our condolences to his family.
“Saila was one of my first patients in this role. He taught me so much — how to be a better listener not only of the spoken word but to listen for words that sometimes are too painful to utter. He shared about his youth, his family, and his culture — the joys as well as the sorrows. Our almost weekly telephone chats will be greatly missed. “
Carolyn Roberts, Indigenous Patient Nurse Navigator Indigenous Cancer Program
The following story was written in late 2019 before Saila passed away.
Inuit carves way to mental well-being after cancer
After his cancer diagnosis, Saila Kipanek, a traditional Inuk carver, couldn’t have imagined how important his life’s work would be for his recovery.
When Saila was diagnosed with cancer, he knew his best chance for survival was treatment at The Ottawa Hospital. But uprooting his life in Nunavut, to be treated in Ottawa, away from his family, friends, and community would prove to be a challenge. It took a toll on his mental health.
But staff at The Ottawa Hospital would go the extra mile to make him feel at home.
A holistic approach to healing
It was a cold February day, when Saila woke up in a post-op recovery room. He was feeling like a shell of his former self. Having spent months away from his home and his loved ones while undergoing cancer treatment, which included chemotherapy, radiation and surgery, he was suffering from extreme depression.
Not long after Saila’s surgery, Carolyn Roberts, a Registered Nurse and First Nations, Inuit, and Metis Nurse Navigator for the Indigenous Cancer Program, took Saila to Gatineau Park. As they sat by the river, Saila shared that his mental health was “in his boots” – but, he knew exactly what he needed to heal. “What I really need is to carve,” he explained to Carolyn. “Carving would help me feel like myself.”
Treating patients from Nunavut in Ottawa
The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, through an agreement with the Government of Nunavut, is the provider of cancer services to residents of Baffin Islands and eastern Nunavut. For this reason, patients like Saila travel thousands of kilometres to receive the very best treatment and care in Ottawa. However, coming to such a large city away from familiar culture, language, and food can make them feel isolated, and take a toll on their mental health.
Saila Kapinek carving his way to mental well-being at The Ottawa Hospital.
The dancing bear that Saila began carving as he was receiving treatment at The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre.
Patient-centredhealth care
The role of the Nurse Navigator within the Indigenous Cancer Program is diverse and patient-centred. An important part of Carolyn’s role is to listen to the needs of each patient and work to the best of her ability to accommodate those needs. “If you just listen,” said Carolyn, “patients tell you what they need to heal.”
Carolyn did just that. After listening to Saila’s struggles, she was determined to help him. It was at that moment that Carolyn took it upon herself to find a space within the hospital for Saila to carve.
She approached Kevin Godsman, then one of the Managers of Facilities, to see if there was a room that Saila could use to carve in. With help from his colleagues, he found a room and fitted it out with furniture, tools and a vacuum.
Carolyn Roberts chats with Saila Kapinek at The Ottawa Hospital cancer centre.
A grand opening
A party was organized for the grand opening of Saila’s carving room. It was an emotional moment for him, realizing he would be able to carve again.
For the next six weeks, while he underwent his chemotherapy and radiation treatment, Saila carved.
His depression lifted, and his cancer was halted.
“Glad I got back to carving,” said Saila. “Grateful I’m doing it again. It helped in the long run.”
When he returned home to Iqaluit, he took his pieces with him and finished them. At a follow up appointment in September 2018, he brought his finished carvings back to show the team what they helped him create.
“They turned out even better than I imagined,” said Kevin. “It’s nice to know that The Ottawa Hospital has a little part in the making of them too.”
Today, Saila is feeling strong and well, and grateful for the compassionate care he received at The Ottawa Hospital.
The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research, and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.
Categories: Cancer, Cancer, Mental Health
Making world-first discoveries and pushing the boundaries of breast cancer care and research right here at The Ottawa Hospital
In front of a buzzing crowd of more than 200 generous contributors and tireless allies, the new Rose Ages Breast Health Centre at The Ottawa Hospital officially opened its doors on September 20, 2018. The event marked a thrilling close to an ambitious $14 million fundraising campaign.
Built and equipped through the unfailing generosity of our community, the Centre now houses an impressive suite of technologies that are among the latest and most comprehensive in Canada. Many of them enable more accurate and much less invasive diagnoses and treatments.
But more than just technology, the new Centre was designed as an inviting space to enhance wellness and connection to friends and family. It also allows patients to be closer to the specialists involved in their care, from before diagnosis to after treatment, and beyond. This means, thanks to donor support, more patients can be treated with therapies that are tailored to their unique circumstance.
A comprehensive breast health program to address growing need
The Ottawa Hospital offers a comprehensive breast centre, providing expertise in breast imaging, diagnosis, risk assessment, surgical planning, and psychosocial support.
The consolidation of four breast health centres spread out across the city down to two (the Rose Ages Breast Health Centre and Hampton Park), allow for more centralized services, less travel time, improved patient care and operational efficiencies.
This year alone, another 1,000 women in our region will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Thanks to the generous donor community in the Ottawa region, The Ottawa Hospital is already tackling this growing challenge and working hard to improve every aspect of breast cancer care with innovative research and the very best treatments and techniques.
“Your generosity has improved the largest breast centre in Canada,” said Dr. Seely. “We are now poised to lead the way for excellence in breast health care.”
The creation of REaCT
The Ottawa Hospital’s commitment to innovation and research is revolutionizing clinical trials, improving patient outcomes every day. Though clinical trials offer improved treatment options, less than three percent of cancer patients in Canada are enrolled in clinical trials. Part of the reason for low enrollment is the daunting prospect of lengthy paperwork each patient must fill out before becoming involved in a trial. As well, regulatory hurdles often make opening a new trial too expensive and time consuming. In response to these challenges, in 2014, Dr. Marc Clemons, medical oncologist and scientist, in collaboration with Dr. Dean Fergusson, Director of the Clinical Epidemiology Program, and their colleagues at The Ottawa Hospital, developed the Rethinking Clinical Trials or REaCT program as a way to make the process of enrollment in clinical trials easier and more efficient for cancer patients.
This ground-breaking program conducts practical patient-focused research to ensure patients receive optimal, safe and cost-effective treatments. Since REaCT isn’t investigating a new drug or a new therapy, but rather looks at the effectiveness of an existing therapy, regulatory hurdles are not an issue and patients can consent verbally to begin treatment immediately. By the end of 2017, this program enrolled more breast cancer patients in clinical trials than all other trials in Canada combined. Currently, there are more than 2,300 participants involved in various REaCT trials.
Drs Mark Clemons and Dean Fergusson developed the Rethinking Clinical Trials or REaCT program
The Rose Ages Breast Health Centre 2018-2019 stats and facts
49,288 diagnostic breast examinations and procedures
2,397 breast biopsies
5,129 breast clinic patient visits
1,929 referrals to the Breast Clinic
889 diagnosed breast cancer patients
Specialized patient care
Tanya O’Brien
Five years ago, Tanya O’Brien received the news she had been afraid of all her life. Like her six family members before her, she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Today, Tanya is cancer-free. When she thinks back to the 16 months of treatment she received at the Rose Ages Breast Health Center at The Ottawa Hospital, Tanya credits her dedicated and skilled care team for guiding her through and out of the darkest time in her life.
“We have come so far as a community in changing the narrative of breast cancer. We have given women like me, like us, so much hope,” said Tanya.
Rita Nattkemper
When a routine mammogram identified a small tumour, Rita Nattkemper was given an innovative option to mark its location for the surgery. A radioactive seed, the size of a pinhead, was injected directly into the tumour in her breast.
For years, an uncomfortable wire was inserted into a woman’s breast before surgery to pinpoint the cancer tumour. Today, a tiny radioactive seed is implanted instead, making it easier for surgeons to find and fully remove the cancer, and more comfortable for patients like Rita.
“It’s a painless procedure to get this radioactive seed in, and it helps the doctor with accuracy,” said Rita.
Marilyn Erdely
At the age of 29, Marilyn had a lumpectomy after receiving a stage zero breast cancer diagnosis. She was confident she would be fine. But five years later, her cancer metastasized.
“Scans would reveal the cancer was throughout my body. I had significant cancer in the bones, in my femur, in my back, in my ovaries, and in my liver. I was head-to-toe cancer,” said Marilyn.
Oncologist Dr. Stan Gertler gave her hope for recovery. Within six months of her stage four diagnosis, Marilyn required several surgeries. But then things changed. She started feeling better, stronger.
Today, she is down to just a couple of one-centimeter tumours on her liver. Everything else is resolved. The cancer is dormant.
‘I walked through my darkest fears and came out the other side.’
It would be a routine mammogram, which would turn Annette Gibbons’ world upside down. The public servant would soon begin her breast cancer journey, but she put her complete trust in her medical team at The Ottawa Hospital.
Vesna Zic-Côté
The gift of time with family
Mom of three, Vesna, is living with terminal metastatic breast cancer. She is hoping clinical trials will continue to extend her life so she has more time with those she loves.
International research to find breast cancer sooner
The Ottawa Hospital is one of six sites in Canada participating in the Tomosynthesis Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial (TMIST), a randomized breast cancer screening trial that will help researchers determine the best ways to find breast cancer in women who have no symptoms, and whether a newer 3D imaging technique decreases the rate of advanced breast cancers.
The trial compares standard digital mammography (2D) with a newer technology called tomosynthesis mammography (3D). Conventional 2D mammography creates a flat image from pictures taken from two sides of the breast. With 3D mammography a 3D image is created from images taken at different angles around the breast.
Worldwide the study is expected to enroll around 165,000 patients over five years. With the new, increased mammography capacity at the Rose Ages Breast Health Centre we expect to enroll at least 1500 patients from our region.
Your impact
The Rose Ages Breast Health Centre at The Ottawa Hospital is committed to providing an exceptional level of care for patients, approaching each case with medical excellence, practice, and compassion. The Centre’s reputation for world-leading research and patient care attracts to Ottawa some of the brightest and most capable health-care professionals in the world who help deliver extraordinary care to patients in our community.
You continue to be a critical part of our success as we strive to redraw the boundaries of breast health care. On behalf of the thousands of patients and families who need The Ottawa Hospital, we thank you for your tremendous support and for your continued involvement.
The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research, and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.
Categories: Clinical Trials
It was an unimaginable brain tumour diagnosis that Natasha Lewis never saw coming. It started one morning, in 2016; the mother of three remembers waking up with a strange symptom.
“I looked in the mirror and noticed my tongue was twisting to the left,” recalled Natasha. Her first thought was that she had a stroke, but she was confused by the fact the rest of her body seemed normal.
She went for tests at The Ottawa Hospital and three days later, her life changed. Natasha was driving when she got the call. Tests revealed a tumour in her brain. “I felt so sick when I heard the news that I had to pull over.”
Diagnosis shatters mom’s world
Natasha Lewis with her husband, Marvin.
Natasha had a schwannoma tumour on her hypoglossal nerve, which controls the tongue. Schwannomas are rarely found in the brain and even more rarely on that specific nerve. Her mind was racing. “I was only 38 years old, a wife, and mother of three young children.”
When she got home to St. Isidore, east of Ottawa, she sat with her youngest daughter as she relayed the information to her husband. “I had tears falling down my face. I didn’t know what was going to happen.”
All this time she thought she was healthy. “I was losing weight, running, and training for marathons and triathlons.” All she could think about were her three, beautiful, young children. What would this mean for them?
“We’re in the right place. We’re in Canada, we’re close to Ottawa, we’ll get the best care.”
– Marvin Lewis
However, her husband, Marvin, was a pillar of strength. She remembers him saying, “We’re in the right place. We’re in Canada, we’re close to Ottawa, we’ll get the best care.” She adds, “He has never been so right.”
Natasha was cared for at The Ottawa Hospital – one of the few hospitals in Canada that could help her because of the complexity of her diagnosis. Dr. Fahad Alkherayf, a world-class skull base surgeon told her the tumour was benign and he would closely monitor her in the months ahead.
Normally, a schwannoma is a tumour that grows in the sheaths of nerves in the peripheral nervous system, or the parts of the nervous system that aren’t in your brain or spinal cord. Schwannomas are usually low-grade tumours, meaning they can often be successfully treated, but they’re still serious and can be life-threatening. It is estimated that in 2021, there will be 27 new primary brain tumours diagnosed every day in Canada. Non-malignant tumours account for almost two-thirds of all primary brain tumours.
Condition deteriorating
Less than a year later, while the tumour had grown only slightly, Natasha’s quality of life was deteriorating.
She was scared to see what was happening with her body. Initially, there was drooling from both sides of her mouth, then Natasha started slurring her words. It was a little embarrassing, but she could handle it. In addition, swallowing became more difficult and her shoulder felt like it was on fire. That’s when she lost the ability to move it and couldn’t use it to work out. Even worse, she couldn’t lift her children.
By May 2018, it was time to operate when the side effects continued to worsen.
Surgeons ready for complex procedure
It was an intricate 10-hour brain surgery. Dr. Alkherayf brought in ear surgeon, Dr. David Schramm, a colleague at The Ottawa Hospital, to assist because of where the tumor was located. Dr. Alkherayf wanted to have another highly-skilled surgeon with him because the tumour was near the ear canal.
Natasha with Dr. Alkherayf
The surgical team accessed her brain through the base of the skull. While minimally invasive surgeries are becoming more common than open surgeries, where the brain is accessed through a more invasive and significant incision, it wasn’t an option for Natasha because there were too many nerves to navigate. With traditional surgery, patients can spend a week recovering in the hospital. With minimally invasive surgery, they sometimes go home the same day. In Natasha’s case, though complex and intricate, open surgery was the less risky option and she benefitted from the expertise available to her right here in Ottawa.
Dr. Alkherayf knew they likely couldn’t remove all of the tumour because of those surrounding nerves; damaging them meant Natasha might lose her ability to hear and swallow. While these risks were terrifying for Natasha, Dr. Alkherayf made her feel confident and gave her hope.
“I remember Dr. Alkherayf said there would be another chapter in my life. I held on to those words.”
– Natasha Lewis
Incredibly, her surgeons were able to remove ninety-nine percent of the tumour leaving only a small sliver so they didn’t have to cut the nerves.
Journey continues after remarkable recovery
Following her surgery, Natasha made a remarkable recovery. She has her hearing — it’s a little muffled but she’s told over time it will return to normal. She’s back at work, her speech is back to normal, and she can swallow without difficulty.
This active mom’s recovery has been nothing short of remarkable. Four months post-surgery, Natasha ran the Commander’s challenge at the Army Run. She started training for a marathon and she has the dream of qualifying for the Boston Marathon.
However, in 2019, she received news the tumour had grown back, despite being told the odds of that were low. Natasha was devastated, but her healthcare team would turn to the CyberKnife – a revolutionary piece of equipment that arrived at The Ottawa Hospital in 2010, as a result of donor support.
“At first I was nervous to have the CyberKnife treatment. I had to go by myself because we had no one to watch the kids. However, the staff was very patient, kind, and made you feel warm and safe. I was able to watch a movie and the machine did the work,” recalls Natasha. She would have three, one-hour treatments.
Natasha and her family
“I had to go by myself because we had no one to watch the kids. However, the staff was very patient, kind, and made you feel warm and safe.”
– Natasha Lewis
Today, she prays that “Jim,” the name she’s given the tumour, will not come back. While there’s uncertainty over what will happen next, she continues to be active with her running and most importantly, she can run, play with, and hug her three children. “I can hear them laugh and tell me they love me. There is no greater feeling in the world,” smiles Natasha.
The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research, and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.
Categories: Creating Tomorrow, Innovation and Technology
Originally published: July, 2019 Updated: August, 2022
Update: Recently, June had to go back on hemodialysis after complications of being on peritoneal dialysis for eight years. As she awaits another kidney donor, June continues to watch her family grow. She now has four grandchildren, two girls and two boys. In August 2022, we were thrilled to announce a $10-million gift from the Jones family to the Campaign to Create Tomorrow. Read more about their incredible gift.
June Jones lives a double life. During the day, she is busy, making cookies with her two granddaughters, working in her garden, and enjoying life. During the night, she sleeps hooked up to a dialysis machine. June needs a new kidney.
June making cookies after Christmas with her granddaughter.
The 58-year-old has been living with kidney disease for 30 years — over half her life.
In April 1989, not long after her second child was born, June felt extremely run down. Her physician was concerned she had too much blood in her urine and sent her to a nephrologist.
He diagnosed her with IgA nephropathy, disease caused by her body’s immune system attacking her kidneys.
June started on various medications after being diagnosed, but within nine years her disease had progressed, and her kidneys stopped working completely. She started dialysis in 1998.
“There is no cure for renal disease,” said June. “Once your kidneys fail, you’re put on dialysis or have a transplant. Your life is never normal.”
What kidneys do
The function of the kidneys is to remove waste and extra water from the blood to make urine. When kidneys stop working and no longer clean the blood, toxins accumulate in the body, and this can be fatal. Dialysis is an artificial method of cleaning the blood. It sustains a person’s life but is not a cure.
There are two different forms of dialysis. Hemodialysis removes waste products and extra water from the blood by circulating and filtering it through a machine. This is the most common form of dialysis that is often provided to patients at the hospital. Peritoneal dialysis circulates a fluid through the lining of your abdomen, or peritoneum, and the waste products from the blood pass into this fluid.
There are almost 1,000 patients on dialysis in the Ottawa area. Just over two hundred are on peritoneal dialysis. Dr. Brendan McCormick, Medical Director of the Home Dialysis Program, said some patients have been treated for over a decade on peritoneal dialysis but more typically patients spend about three years on this therapy. People leave peritoneal dialysis once they receive a kidney transplant, however, some need to transfer to hemodialysis due to complications of therapy.
The Ottawa Hospital Home dialysis program has the highest rate of kidney transplant in the province. For many patients, peritoneal dialysis serves as a bridge to kidney transplant.
Needing life-saving dialysis
According to a report by the Canadian Institute for Health Information released in December 2018, only 16 percent of Canadians on dialysis survive past 10 years. However, up to 74 percent of Canadians with a kidney transplant still have a functioning kidney after 10 years.
June was only on dialysis for six months before she received the call that a donor match had been found. On November 28, 1998, June received a kidney transplant from a deceased donor.
“It lasted four months shy of 15 years,” June said. “Then, the disease reappeared. I’ve been back on dialysis now for six years.”
In the Ottawa Region, 52 people have received kidney transplants this year. Unfortunately, there are still 165 people are on a waiting list.
“We need to do a lot of transplants to get people off dialysis to keep them alive longer with a better quality of life,” said Dr. Ann Bugeja, nephrologist and Director of the Living Kidney Donor Program. “We know that getting a living donor kidney is the best treatment for end-stage kidney disease and it lasts longer than getting a kidney from a deceased donor.”
When June’s kidney transplant failed six years ago, she had to go back on hemodialysis. She switched to peritoneal dialysis in July 2013. Once again, she has a dialysis machine at home, but this time she does dialysis for nine hours every night. It cleans her blood while she sleeps.
June’s nightly routine is a hassle and not a permanent solution. The membrane around her stomach has started to harden, which means the fluids can’t move back and forth as easily. What this means is that June will have to go on hemodialysis. The technology hasn’t changed in the 20 years since she was on it before and she remembers too vividly how it gave her severe headaches and was painful.
Making a difference for future generations
Russ and June Jones with their family at The Ottawa Hospital. The Jones family made a $1 million donation to support kidney research at The Ottawa Hospital.
June needs a new kidney. She is on a Canada-wide waiting list for one.
“Giving a kidney can change somebody’s life,” said Dr. Bugeja.
June lives with the daily hope of a second transplant.
She and husband Russ know first-hand how important research is to improve outcomes for people suffering with kidney disease. They heard researchers at The Ottawa Hospital were making great strides finding solutions to kidney diseases, including detecting kidney disease early and looking at the potential of stem cells to heal injured kidneys.
They decided the only way to make a difference for future generations of patients was through research and made a $1 million donation to support kidney research at the Kidney Research Centre at The Ottawa Hospital.
Their support will enable the research team at the Kidney Research Centre to continue to advance knowledge and improve the care of patients with kidney disease through world-renowned studies and research.
June’s children are now adults, married, and parents themselves — each with their own adorable little girl.
On January 8, 2019, the entire family was at The Ottawa Hospital Kidney Research Centre to unveil a plaque outside the Jones Family Foundation Kidney Research Laboratory. The plaque commemorates their incredible support of kidney research.
“I hope with research advancements, I will live to see my grandchildren’s memorable events,” said June.
“I hope to be there for their high school graduations, university graduations, their wedding days, and when they have children of their own. I also hope great strides are made so that their generation will find a cure.”
Listen to Pulse podcast and hear June Jones in her own words explaining what it’s like waiting for a second kidney transplant and why research is so important.
The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research, and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.
Categories: Kidney, Patient Care, Patient Care, Patient Care, Patient Care, Patient Care, Patient Care, Patient Care, Patient Care, Patient Care, Patient Care, World-Leading Research
For tumours in the head and neck, or in organs that move constantly, like the lungs, kidneys, and liver, platinum seeds, about one third the size of a grain of rice, are implanted around a tumour. The seeds improve the CyberKnife robot’s accuracy in delivering precise doses of radiation by helping its software detect and track the motion of the tumour. These made-in-Ottawa platinum seeds are improving an already incredibly powerful and precise radiosurgery treatment system for tumours in the head, neck, and organs, such as lungs and liver.
Platinum seeds, a third the size of a grain of rice, are improving the accuracy of CyberKnife treatments.
Sean donated a kidney to his father.
“How old will I be when I give you my kidney?” Seven-year-old Liam asked after his father, Sean Downey, donated a kidney to his father.
Young Liam knew intuitively that giving was part of the Downey philosophy.
Phil Downey, Sean’s father, said he always knew growing up in rural Carp that helping others was important. It was something you just did. He said his mom, who was a nurse at the Civic Hospital in the 1940’s, kept a poem about ‘giving’ that she’d cut out of a greeting card. It was always on the fridge to remind them how important giving to others was. Phil said a copy of that same poem is stuck on his own fridge today. As well, every one of his five adult children have the poem hanging in their house. It is their family creed.
“I think it’s important to give, if you have the ability to give,” said Sean. “We live in the greatest country in the world, and have the ability to give more so than a lot of other places in the world. If everybody had that mentality, the world would be a better place.”
About 12 years ago, Phil was diagnosed with kidney disease, whicheventually led to kidney failure.Around the same time, Phil was diagnosed with prostate cancer. After the surgery to remove his prostate gland, he was encouraged to wait five years before having a kidney transplant because Phil would need to take anti-rejection drugs, which suppress the immune system and increase the potential for cancer.
Five years later, Phil was still cancer free, but he was on dialysis and desperately needed a kidney. Gail and his children and step children “threw in the hat,” and volunteered to donate their kidney. Sean,his second son, was the best match.
“A lot of people get cancer or other terrible diseases. I have friends who lost loved ones, and who would’ve cut their right arm off to save someone they love,” said 42-year-old Sean. “There is the medical know how with kidney disease to save one person’s life, and the other person goes on to live a normal, happy life.” He said he just saw donating one of his kidneys as “something you do for your father.”
The Downey Family at their fundraising cocktail event in August 2018. Left to right: Sean Downey, Karen Leonard, Bruce Downey, Shannon Downey, Kevin Wolfe, Bryan Buchanan, Kate Wolfe, Jessica Wolfe, Phil and Gail Downey, centre, with Liam Downey
In April 2019, Phil and Gail Downey were awarded the Governor General’s Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers.
In July 2013, Sean and Phil underwent surgery at the same time. The kidney transplant was a success. Phil began to feel better almost immediately. He said he had more energywhile still in the hospitalthan he’d had in years. Recovering together, was great bonding time for Sean and Phil.The father and son had friendly competitions to reach milestones: who could be out walking more; who could do the most, physically or do it the fastest. Over the course of healing together, Phil convinced Sean to join hisreal estate business. He did, and father and son now work together.
Phil and Gail were so grateful for the wonderful care he received over the years at The Ottawa Hospital that they actively fundraised for critical hospital priorities, such as the CyberKnife, the new Charlie and Claudette Logue Dermatology Centre, and the Rose Ages Breast Health Centre. They realized that philanthropy was also important to their adult children. The family decided to encourage their friends to inspire generational giving in their families too.
In August, Phil and Gail hosted a cocktail reception in their backyard with their family, and invited their close friends. They announced, in gratitude for the treatment and care Phil received at The Ottawa Hospital,they would make a significant donation to kidney research. Knowing that the hospital had touched everyone in attendance, the Downeysasked their friends to also consider engaging their own children – the next generation – to support world-class patient care at The Ottawa Hospital.
The Downey family is paying it forward, knowing their legacy willbe shaping the future of health care in Ottawa for generations of Downeys to come.
The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research, and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.
Categories: Kidney
Update: It is with sadness we share that Michael Baine passed away on February 24, 2023. Mike was an inspiration and a wonderful advocate and volunteer for The Ottawa Hospital. Our deepest condolences to his family and friends.
Published: April 2019
Michael Baine was on vacation in Florida when the governor general’s office called to tell him he was receiving a Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers.
Mike Baine has been a table captain at every President’s Breakfast since 2004.
“I was blown away,” said Mike, a dedicated volunteer with The Ottawa Hospital Foundation since 2004. “It’s never something you think about when you are volunteering. For me, I love the work. I love the cause. It was win-win all the time for me.”
The medal, formerly known as the Caring Canadian Award, recognizes and pays tribute to dedicated people, like Mike, who’ve made a significant contribution to the community as a volunteer.
Mike knows many family and friends who have been patients at The Ottawa Hospital, and saw firsthand the great treatment and care they received. In 2004, he heard about the President’s Breakfast fundraising event, and thought it was a “brilliant” way to inform people about outstanding patient care and research at The Ottawa Hospital. Mike offered to host a table and invited nine people to join him.
He and his guests were wowed at the hour-long breakfast, hearing patients talk about how their lives―changed by an accident or illness―were saved by The Ottawa Hospital. They also heard from hospital President and CEO (at the time), Dr. Jack Kitts, who spoke about his health-care vision. These extraordinary stories of healing inspired them to make a donation to the hospital.
“I don’t travel in wealthy circles, but I know people who are committed to people,” said Mike who started teaching with the Ottawa Catholic School Board in 1972 and retired in 2007 as Superintendent of Special Education and Student Services. “My colleagues and friends have all chosen a people profession. They like helping people, so I approached them.”
Mike was so impressed by the incredible testimonials, and got such a great vibe from being there, that every year since he has been a table captain, inviting nine friends to also be inspired. Over the last 14 years, more than 100 people have been Mike’s guests at the President’s Breakfast.
Mike has been a rider on every Foundation Ride event since it began nine years ago.
“Some of my guests have become table captains themselves. But really, a lot of them are great ambassadors now for The Ottawa Hospital because of the amazing experience that one hour provides,” he said.
Then in 2009, when the Foundation set up a focus group to explore the idea of doing a cycling fundraiser for cancer research, they asked Mike to take part. The group gave the event an enthusiastic thumbs-up. And in 2010, Mike raised money for cancer research, and on September 11, four days before hosting a table at the President’s Breakfast, he got on his bike to pedal the first Ride the Rideau (now known as THE RIDE). He enjoyed the event so much, he signed up the following year and has participated in every ride event since. In September 2018, Mike had a bigger reason to ride after a close friend passed away from cancer. He raised a personal best of $5,000 for The Ottawa Hospital.
“I’ve met so many wonderful people while volunteering. People you get to know because you’re at the same events together,” said Mike. “And you meet the same people on the RIDE or at the finish lines. It becomes part of your life―that kind of philanthropy.”
Mike has also volunteered with CHEO, Children’s Aid Society of Ottawa, and the Youth Services Bureau. Making a difference in the lives of children is another cause close to his heart.
Mike was presented with the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers at a ceremony on April 9, 2019. Congratulations are in order to the other Foundation volunteers who also received this award for their exceptional commitment and tremendous support for The Ottawa Hospital: Gail and Philip Downey, Dr. Lothar Huebsch, and Sheryl McDiarmid.
The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research, and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.
Categories: Donors, Donors, Donors, Donors, Donors, TOH Family
Kathleen was born in Kemptville, Ontario, in 1906. From an early age, she had a real knack with children that led her to pursue her teaching certification in 1925.
Certificate in hand, Kathleen began teaching in a small, one-room schoolhouse, filled with students from grade one all the way to grade eight. She spent two years moulding minds and teaching the values of compassion, duty, and looking out for one another.
Her keen interest in children only grew in that time and Kathleen decided to take it a step further. She moved to Guelph, where she completed a degree in Household Science in 1929 that enabled her to work as a dietician at Sick Kids in Toronto before resuming her teaching career in Home Economics.
The work was challenging for Kathleen – but also deeply satisfying. While it broke her heart to see little ones suffering so much, it also drove her to do her very best to give them whatever small comfort she could.
In fact, the injustice of small children starting life with such a disadvantage – of lives filled with promise, cut short all too soon by disease – never left her. And it’s what inspired this centenarian to leave a gift in her will that could aid in the training of nurses who wish to specialize in neo-natal care.
Kathleen spent her lifetime dedicated to nurturing our next generation. And that legacy will last for many lifetimes more, thanks to her legacy gift to The Ottawa Hospital.
The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research, and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.
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