Dear Friends,
As I write to you from my home office, I have the windows open for fresh air, and I’m inspired by the change in seasons. We just got through with a team meeting, and I wanted to share our collective hope that you and your loved ones are staying safe and are finding ways to self-isolate without feeling alone.
Our team of every-day heroes and heroines at the Cedars Cancer Centre and on Sarah’s Floor at the Montreal Children’s Hospital are on the frontline of patient care. They show up to work every day with a common mission of helping ease the pain and suffering that cancer causes. And all of this with new sets of rules and protocols – all designed to keep the population safer and more secure.
A Time of Hope and Faith
The world has changed, we are living in isolation within our city, and we are coming to grips with a new reality. At times like these, we need to expand our community, check in regularly with one another, and look at the beauty of life. Inspired by the upcoming Passover and Easter holidays, we wanted to reach out to our Cedars community with a message of hope and an important reminder.
The More Things Change...
We say that we’re living in a new reality, but let's look at what has changed. We can still celebrate with family. We can still celebrate with community. And we can absolutely keep our faith strong. It’s the how, not the what that has changed.
So – we get creative, and we embrace technology where possible to find ways to stay connected. At the Cedars Cancer Foundation office, we are all working from home – but we’ve found ways to keep working as a team with a common goal. However, during this time of change and instability, cancer has not taken a pause.
A Covid-19 Humanitarian Fund for Cancer Patients
Humanitarian aid has always been an important part of our Foundation’s DNA throughout its existence. In 1991, in memory of a great humanitarian and through the leadership and generous donations of the Howick Family, the Cedars Humanitarian Fund was endowed as the Wilfrid Howick Humanitarian Fund.
Today, aligned with the Wilfrid Howick Humanitarian Fund, we are introducing the Covid-19 Humanitarian Fund for Cancer Patients. Through this fund, the Cedars Cancer Foundation at the McGill University Health Center (MUHC) will continue to provide assistance and resources for pediatric and adult cancer patients and their families in financial need, in an effort to alleviate the negative impact of financial hardship, reducing the stress associated with life’s basic necessities such as shelter, groceries, utilities, and transportation costs. The fund allows Cedars to help those most in need. Your gift to this fund is a tangible outreach to our patients when they are at their most vulnerable.
All of us at the Cedars Cancer Foundation want to thank you for being part of an inspired community helping those in need, and we wish you and your loved ones a wonderful transition to spring, filled with love and hope.
Stay Safe. With best personal regards,
Jeff J. Shamie, MPA
President & CEO
Cedars Cancer Foundation