Category: Donors

They were born at The Ottawa Hospital on December 22, 2006, three and a half months premature. Rhys was 1 lb 8 oz, his identical twin Cullen was 1 lb 4 oz, brother Liam was 1 lb 10 oz, and his identical twin Daniel was 1 lb 3 oz.

“We knew it was quadruplets when I had the first ultrasound at eight weeks. There were four heart beats,” said Nora Shipton, the boys’ mother. “We had two sets of identical twins born by caesarean section. There was an amazing team of 25 people in the delivery room.”

The boys were born exceptionally early at 26 weeks and two days. Babies born before 35 weeks are considered high risk—their lungs and hearts aren’t fully developed yet.

Specialized Care at The Ottawa Hospital

Liam and Rhys at 2.5 months old
Liam and Rhys at 2.5 months old

When the White quadruplets were admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at The Ottawa Hospital’s General Campus, making sure they kept breathing was critical. Liam didn’t need a tube to open his airway but received oxygen through a nose tube instead. The other three boys, however needed to be intubated (a breathing tube needed to be inserted). On top of breathing problems, Rhys and Liam also had heart surgery to correct faulty heart valves and were operated on the same day.

Sadly, despite every effort brother Cullen passed away on January 16, 2007 and brother Daniel two days later.

“The care that we received at the NICU was beyond excellent. The nurses and the doctors were so caring and attentive and helped us through the roller coaster that all NICU parents ride. We will forever be grateful to them for the love and the care that they gave to all of our babies.”     

– Nora Shipton

A Bittersweet Return Home

Liam spent 88 days and Rhys 98 days in the NICU. It was bittersweet for Nora and Rob when Liam and Rhys finally came home.

Three months after losing two of their sons, Nora and Rob White decided that they wanted to give back; to help support the NICU team who had helped Liam and Rhys survive their early entry into the world. Initially, they were inspired to contribute towards a twin water bed that was needed. The boys were in individual water beds but co-sleeping was proven to help healing. They realized, however that the water bed was a one-time gift and preferred something that would continue to give over time, as a need would arise. Nora’s late father, Ralph Shipton, researched Legacy Endowment Funds, it was just the thing they were looking for. The family then created the Cullen James and Daniel Morgan White Legacy Endowment Fund, which would contribute over the long term to meet the endless needs of the NICU.

Rhys and Liams’ first Christmas
The boys celebrate their first birthday

The NICU graduates today

Liam and Rhys on the first day of Grade 7.

At 13, the boys are active and busy. They enjoy downhill skiing, swimming and camping. Their grandparents own a farm, so they like to go out on their ATVs, drive the tractors and fish. Rhys is a voracious reader and loves swimming. Liam also enjoys swimming and does horseback riding. Like many children, they struggle in math a little bit. They are happy, healthy boys. 

Running for a Reason

In May 2020, Liam and Rhys are doing something extraordinary for The Ottawa Hospital NICU. They are running 5kms as a family-team in the Ottawa Race Weekend. On top of doing something fun and healthy, they are running to raise money for the NICU and running for their two brothers Cullen and Daniel, in the hope of keeping future families like theirs together. 

Money that is raised through the Cullen James and Daniel Morgan White Legacy Endowment Fund (aka Preemies 4 Preemies), gets put towards things that the babies need.  It may go towards helping purchase a large item like an incubator or a waterbed, which helps maintain a baby’s body temperature when they come out of the incubator, or smaller items like waterless milk bottle warmers, positioning aids, cell phone sterilizers or kangaroo care chairs. The endowment fund was set up in memory of Cullen and Daniel and it will continue to help other families who will need the latest, most innovative care for their preemies. Thanks to the forward thinking of their grandfather, their brothers’ Legacy Endowment Fund can keep on giving into the future. 

Visit Their Fundraising Page

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

Categories: Innovation and Technology, NICU

Update: Sadly, Ida Chen passed away on November 6, 2019. The following story was written earlier this year, after Ida had undergone fluorescence-guided surgery at The Ottawa Hospital.

Symptoms strike and reveal shocking brain cancer diagnosis

While out on a bike ride enjoying the warmth of Palm Beach, Florida, in December 2016, Ida Chen noticed something was wrong with one of her legs. She had experienced some minor symptoms in the weeks prior, but suddenly, her right leg stopped working. Unable to balance, she fell and couldn’t continue her ride.

The fall left her stunned. “After I fell, I could walk. It wasn’t a permanent issue,” said Ida. However, a gash in her leg sent her to a walk-in clinic near where she and her husband, Clarence Byrd, have their vacation property.

When Ida recounted what happened to the doctor, he assured her there wasn’t an infection in the leg but he was deeply concerned about what had led to the fall. He advised her to contact a neurologist.

The neurologist scheduled an MRI, which revealed Ida had a 4 cm sized tumour in her brain which had features concerning for a malignancy. Recognizing that she may not survive a trip back to Canada for surgery, the neurologist contacted a neurosurgeon at the University of Miami Hospital who performed surgery only days later. Ida’s tumour was identified as a glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive form of brain cancer. Unfortunately, not all the tumor could be completely removed, with 25% left behind due to the involvement of the tumor with the motor control areas for Ida’s leg.

Glioblastoma multiforme – brain cancer

For Clarence, it was hard news to absorb.

“It’s a particularly nasty cancer because it has fuzzy edges and they have trouble ensuring they get all of it.” Clarence Byrd, Ida’s husband

Ida advised her Ottawa doctor of the situation. Despite the fact that it was Christmastime, Dr. Lisa Lezack of the University of Ottawa Health Services made great efforts to ensure that when Ida returned to Canada, she would get prompt treatment.

Once back in Canada in early January, Ida was scheduled for radiation and chemotherapy. However, a new MRI showed that the tumour had returned to almost 100 percent of its original size.

Once again, just weeks after her first surgery, Ida was wheeled into the operating room, this time at The Ottawa Hospital under the care of neurosurgeon Dr. John Sinclair. It was a seven-hour surgery, followed by six weeks of radiation treatment and chemotherapy.

Ida’s initial prognosis was 12 – 15 months to live. Eighteen months after her diagnosis she had surpassed the odds, but the cancer was back, and she needed another surgery – her third in less than two years. This time, Dr. Sinclair had access to a revolutionary microscope, which was on loan to The Ottawa Hospital.

Ida, at home, enjoying every moment she gets to play piano.
Ida, at home, enjoying every moment she gets to play piano.

Illuminating cancer

Dr. Sinclair had traveled to Switzerland to receive training for fluorescence-guided brain surgery and was able to perform such surgery in the context of a trial using a microscope on loan to The Ottawa Hospital. The technique requires patients to drink a liquid containing 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) several hours before surgery. 5-ALA concentrates in the cancerous tissue and not in normal brain tissue. As a result, malignant gliomas “glow” a fluorescent pink color under a special blue wavelength of light generated by the microscope while the normal brain tissue does not fluoresce. This permits surgeons to achieve a complete resection of a tumour in many more patients, with recent studies demonstrating that this can now be achieved in 70% of surgeries as opposed to the previous 30% average.

“Seeing the brilliantly coloured tumours helps neurosurgeons remove more of the cancerous cells,” said Dr. Sinclair. “It’s like turning on the lights. You can actually see the difference between the tumour and the brain tissue. It’s dramatic.”

Added Dr. Sinclair, “Survival and quality of life are both dramatically impacted by this technology.”

In later discussions with Dr. Sinclair, it was clear that, without the use of the microscope Ida would have lost the use of her right leg. Ida explained, “He would have had to take out more of my brain matter and disable me to be sure he had all of the cancer cells.” She also learned that, because the microscope was available for a limited time on loan from the manufacturer, she was one of only ten people in Canada who benefited from the loan of the microscope.

Shortly after Ida’s surgery, a fundraising campaign was initiated to acquire a permanent microscope for Fluorescence Guided Surgery at The Ottawa Hospital. Recognizing how vital this piece of equipment was, Ida and Clarence made a substantial contribution towards its purchase. Dr. Sinclair performed the first surgery with the new microscope on August 26th.

“He saved my life.”

Thanks to the revolutionary care she received right here at home, Ida is enjoying a normal life style. “The Ottawa Hospital has given her outstanding service. Dr. Sinclair in particular has been very impressive,” said Clarence.

Ida is quick to add, “He saved my life. Twice.”

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

Categories: Cancer, Neuro, Technology
Phil and his son Sean
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, which eventually 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 in their garden.
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
Gail and Phil with their medals.
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 energy while still in the hospital than 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 his real 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 Downeys asked 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 will be 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
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 Baine
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: Patient Care, TOH Family

For the Tod family, The Ottawa Hospital has been a pillar of support for nearly 60 years.

Charles and Maureen first moved to Ottawa in 1963 with their daughters, Cynthia and Melanie, into a home just blocks from the former Civic Hospital. They’d picked the house because Charles could walk to work easily–but the location soon proved even more ideal than they’d thought.

Through the years, the doctors at The Ottawa Hospital treated the family for ailments of all sorts: from tonsillitis and appendicitis to concussions, sprains, and stitches. It’s where Charles got his hearing aids adjusted, and where Melanie underwent investigative surgery. More recently, it’s where Maureen was treated for a series of mini strokes that caused several falls.

And the connection spread further. Because they were so near the hospital, it wasn’t uncommon for friends undergoing treatment at the hospital to drop by afterward for a cup of comforting tea.

No matter what was wrong, the Tods knew that The Ottawa Hospital was the place to go for world-class care.

Never one to receive and not pay it forward, Maureen began volunteering at the gift shop. She also became a donor–inspiring her daughter Melanie to do the same. So it felt like a natural extension for Maureen to include The Ottawa Hospital in her will.

“It will be helpful to people to have the care available. And at almost 90, I haven’t needed a lot of care, but when I did, I got great care, and I’m still doing well. I want to pass that on.”

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, Donors, Donors

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.

Categories: Gift In Will, Patient Care, Patient Care

When Annie and Hernan moved to Ottawa, they had two suitcases, a toddler, and $500 in their pockets.

Annie became Chief Financial Officer of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation. Over the years, she saw first-hand the importance of life-saving care: when a rare virus devastated her kidneys and put her on dialysis, the doctors at The Ottawa Hospital fixed her up. And, Hernan received a successful corneal transplant there.

“I noticed that a growing number of people in and around Ottawa were leaving gifts in their wills to the Hospital. Even though this type of giving doesn’t usually generate much attention, I came to learn what an important source of revenue it is to clinical research, the purchase of medical equipment and the delivery of world-class patient care.”

So, around the time that Annie’s kidney disease was resolved, the couple decided to include a gift to The Ottawa Hospital in their estate plans.

They didn’t think much on it until 2015, when Hernan was diagnosed with appendiceal cancer (or cancer of the appendix, a very rare form of cancer). The Ottawa Hospital was there once again. He fought with everything he had. Tragically, the cancer won, taking Hernan’s life in the end.

Today, Annie misses Hernan terribly–but she does her best to live life to the fullest, like her husband would have wanted. And, she knows that his legacy of kindness and community lives on, thanks to the gift in their will.

“When I look back on my life, I think of me and Hernan as a pair. We have built so much–and we will leave so much. We made beautiful, bright children. We worked hard for the betterment of others. And, we left our bequests to The Ottawa Hospital Foundation, so that those who follow us will receive the best possible healthcare when they need it most.”

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

Categories: Cancer, Gift In Will, Gift In Will, Kidney
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