The CHUM Foundation has unveiled the faces of the major campaign we launched on November 16: Act Faster Than Disease. The Foundation is immensely grateful to these patients for their involvement in the campaign, which seeks to raise $200 million by 2028 for a healthier future.
The generous donations from the Foundation’s tight-knit, committed community are empowering the CHUM’s teams to tackle the biggest health challenges of the 21st century and do everything they can over the coming years to make lightspeed progress in medical care, particularly in the hospital’s five priority areas. The goal is to prevent disease, better predict how it will evolve and personalize treatment—all while working in partnership with patients.
Acting faster than disease for Lynda, Gabriel, Denis, Natasha, Mathieu, and thousands of others from all over Quebec
Eliminating cancer
Acting faster than disease means discovering new, more effective and personalized treatments for cancer that offer hope to patients like Lynda Piché. Lynda was treated at the CHUM for uterine cancer that had spread to her liver, one of her kidneys and her peritoneum. However, Lynda defied her prognosis thanks to a hormone therapy that controls cancerous cells and prevents recurrence. Lynda now donates to the Foundation to support her hospital and oncology research. She treats every day like a gift.
Providing new mental health solutions
In mental health, acting faster than disease means treating patients like Gabriel Julien from the first signs of distress, using innovative and proven interventions. From a young age, Gabriel slipped into drug and alcohol addiction, unaware that he was suffering from bipolar disorder. After five years of intensive treatment from the CHUM’s Jeunes Adultes Psychotiques clinic, Gabriel is doing better than ever. He’s active in the community, serves as a peer helper and has become an inspiring advocate for the cause of mental health.
Curing immune disorders
Denis Cormier-Piché is living proof that investing in research can truly help us save lives by acting faster than disease. After being diagnosed with HIV over 20 years ago, Denis received North America’s first-ever HIV-positive to HIV-positive organ transplant at the CHUM. This operation gave him a quality of life he never would have dreamed was possible. Denis is now a patient partner, generously dedicating his time to a number of different projects and committees. He strives to support innovation at the CHUM to help all the patients who will come after him.
Revolutionizing care for cardiometabolic disease
One in two: that’s how many women whose heart attack warning signs go unnoticed. Natasha Joseph was one of them. After suffering a heart attack, the mother of two underwent open-heart surgery at the CHUM. She will continue to be treated at the Cardio F clinic, the first women’s heart health expertise centre in Quebec, which is powered by your generous donations. Natasha wants to encourage other women to take care of themselves and pay more attention to their body’s warning signs. For her and her treatment team, acting faster than disease means doing everything possible when it comes to prevention and education.
Putting an end to neurological diseases
Your donations made it possible for Mathieu Bergevin, who had treatment-resistant epilepsy, to become the first CHUM patient to have laser-assisted neurosurgery. Before the operation, Mathieu suffered from up to five seizures a day, making merely working, driving or spending time alone with his two-year-old son impossible. Mathieu no longer suffers from seizures. He is excitedly awaiting the birth of his second child and is thrilled that he will be able to hold his infant in his arms without fear. He’s taking an active role in supporting the CHUM as it surges forward toward the future of medicine and innovations like the one that transformed Mathieu’s life.
To learn more about the campaign and donate: agirplusvite.ca
