| July 13, 2010 |
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| RBC Foundation announced a donation of $1.25 million to The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation |
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RBC Foundation today announced a donation of $1.25 million to The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation (PMHF) in support of the expansion of The Gattuso Rapid Diagnostic Centre for breast cancer. This gift will be matched dollar for dollar by philanthropists Allan and Gary Slaight.
The Gattuso Rapid Diagnostic Centre has pioneered one-day diagnosis for breast cancer. The average wait for a breast diagnosis in Canada is 33 days. Dr. David McCready, Head of the Breast Cancer Program at The Princess Margaret and holder of The Gattuso Chair in Breast Surgical Oncology, was the visionary behind The Gattuso Rapid Diagnostic Centre. Qualifying patients, referred to the Centre by their family physician, have a physical exam, mammogram, ultrasound and tissue biopsy (if needed), all within one day. If tests confirm that the tumour is cancerous, a treatment plan is also created the same day. The patient then returns to their referring physician with a plan for treatment.
Since the program was initiated in 2006, 900 women and men have gone through rapid diagnosis. Once at full capacity (by 2018), The Gattuso Rapid Diagnostic Centre will diagnose up to 3,000 breast cancer patients annually. It will also collaborate with other centres so that patients with a diagnosis of breast cancer can move rapidly to treatment.
In May 2009, PMHF received a $12.5 million donation from Emmanuelle Gattuso and Allan Slaight to support an expansion of the service offered by Dr. McCready and his colleagues. To commemorate the extraordinary gift, the program was renamed The Gattuso Rapid Diagnostic Centre. The couple also committed to help raise the additional $12.5 million through matching further monies raised.
RBC Foundation’s gift of $1.25 million was announced at a reception at the home of Emmanuelle Gattuso and Allan Slaight. In fact, the donation becomes $2.5 million because of the matching program initiated by the Slaight family.
"We are proud to support The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation and The Gattuso Rapid Diagnostic Centre," said Jennifer Tory, regional president Greater Toronto, RBC. "RBC believes in empowering and inspiring people to create change, and the exemplary work that Dr. McCready and his team are doing in breast cancer diagnosis and therapy will have a significant impact on the lives of Canadians now and in the future."
"This is a huge day for The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, but more importantly, this is a landmark day for healthcare," stated Paul Alofs, President and CEO of PMHF. "The generosity of The RBC Foundation and Emmanuelle, Allan and Gary puts us one step closer to completing the fundraising for The Gattuso Rapid Diagnostic Centre, which is changing the standard of care in breast cancer, and serves as a new model in patient treatment that can be duplicated across Canada and around the world for the rapid diagnosis of other cancers."
To donate to The Gattuso Rapid Diagnostic Centre, call 416-946-6560 or visit www.onedaypmh.ca.
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