Cellular immunotherapy as a weapon against cancer
A project powered by a major donation from Denis Hébert (Fondation D.G. Hébert)
The CHUM Foundation is immensely proud of the support we have received from the Fondation D.G. Hébert and the late Denis Hébert over the years. Their sustained and unwavering dedication has supported the CHUM’s priority needs and helped launch the
CHUM’s cellular immunotherapy program.
“This donation is much more than a dollar amount. We see it as a symbol of our deep commitment to standing up for public health and making a meaningful investment in the future of medicine and health care. At the end of the day, we want our contribution to be a powerful lever for improving health care, strengthening research and making a real difference in the well-being of the community.”
Generosity backed by personal experience
Denis Hébert, founder of the Fondation D.G. Hébert, was motivated by personal experience in his dedication to health care and in taking steps to act on his desire to drive medicine forward. When someone close to Denis was diagnosed with liver cancer, he and his family were impressed with the compassionate, personal approach and leading-edge treatment they saw at the CHUM, which led to a successful outcome for Denis’s loved one.
“The care teams at the CHUM created a very trusting environment with their scrupulous care, compassion and transparency. We wanted to thank them by supporting projects that will change the future and have a direct, lasting effect on people’s lives. We also wanted to show the CHUM teams that we trust them and we appreciate their tireless work to push the boundaries of medicine.”
Denis Hébert was so impressed with how CHUM patients had access to innovative treatments, state-of-the-art technology and deeply human professionals that he decided to support the CHUM and our foundation, so that more people could benefit from the same level of care and excellence.
A promising research program to put an end to cancer
At the CRCHUM, Dr. Turcotte and his teams work to boost patients’ natural immune defenses. Their goal is to create cell products that can be tailored to each individual person to eliminate cancer cells in a more targeted, more personalized and less invasive way than traditional treatments.
The support of the Fondation D.G. Hébert is instrumental in making projects like Dr. Turcotte’s see the light of day. It helps not only fast-track the efforts of research teams, but also bring new hope to cancer patients. This technique will eventually be brought to the 7,200 patients who receive cancer treatment at the CHUM each year, and to patients across Quebec.
Denis Hébert, a visionary entrepreneur and passionate philanthropist
Denis Hébert was a visionary strategist who drew on his business acumen and his sense of integrity, generosity and social responsibility to transform and grow businesses as a renowned leader in the construction industry. Driven by a personal commitment to helping more vulnerable communities, he supported local initiatives in Montérégie and donated to hospital foundations in order to improve health care and access to leading-edge technology.
“A healthier community is a stronger community. Small, medium-sized and large businesses have a key role to play in supporting care and research. Each contribution helps, because true wealth is found in solidarity and generosity.”
We are forever grateful to Denis for helping the CHUM’s teams act faster than disease.
