Summer in full swing
August is here, and while summer can sometimes feel like a “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it event,” there is so much more to enjoy—more fun, family gatherings, and adventures. RVH donors like you help to protect the kind of good, healthy living that we all have access to advanced, world-class healthcare right here in our own backyard.
If you are inspired to join the fight to keep life wild, please consider donating using the form below
K. WINTER SANITATION INC. MAKES $1M GIFT TO RVH
On July 30, we had the pleasure of celebrating K. Winter Sanitation Inc.’s $1 million gift to RVH. As part of their 60th anniversary, Roger Winter, President of K. Winter Sanitation Inc., wanted to commemorate this milestone by giving back to the community.
“Our family believes in helping people and sharing with others,” explains Winter, adding, “The best way for our communities to thrive is to make sure that RVH has everything it needs to care for the people who call this place home.”
We are so grateful to K. Winter Sanitation, Roger, and the entire Winter family for their tremendous support of RVH. This gift will go a long way towards ensuring RVH has everything needed to make patients’ lives better, with the care we need, close to home.
DEVON NORTHRUP MEMORIAL FUND AWARDS GRANT FOR EYE-TRACKING EQUIPMENT
The Devon Northrup Memorial Fund, set up through the Innisfil Community Foundation, has awarded RVH a grant for an innovative piece of equipment that uses advanced eye-tracking technology to give patients with severe speech and motor impairments a voice throughout their healthcare experience.
The Tobii Dynavox (TD) Pilot device allows patients to control a speech-generating device using only their eye movements. It serves as a lifeline for patients facing communication difficulties; being able to express their needs and describe symptoms to their care providers and communicate with their loved ones at a time when they need it most.
“Our sickest patients, who otherwise literally have no voice, are now able to communicate because of the generosity of the ICF Devon Northrup Memorial Fund,” said Pamela Ross, CEO of RVH Foundation. “Our ICU patients can now be active participants in their care. It’s a game changer for patients and our ICU are teams.”
PATIENT SPOTLIGHT: PATRICIA HAMMOND
After healing from a mastectomy, Patricia Hammond’s oncologist recommended a PET-CT scan to determine next steps. But the day-long trip felt unimaginable while facing the stress of her diagnosis.
“Originally there was talk of me having to go to Mississauga for this test,” Patricia shares, but before she made the trip, RVH’s new PET-CT arrived, and her scan was rescheduled. “I was only the fifth person to have the scan. Having it at RVH made the process so much easier.”
Because of generous donors like you, every year more than 1,000 people, like Patricia, will have earlier diagnosis, personalized treatment plans and better medical outcomes without the stress of travelling to the GTA.
Patricia Hammond is pictured above, alongside her husband and many grandchildren.
TEAM RVH SPOTLIGHT: DR. CORY OZIMOK
Dr. Cory Ozimok came to RVH because of the leading-edge technology donors like you have helped fund. As one of Ontario’s few diagnostic radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians, he can read PET-CT results – scans that offer the highest level of imaging for the diagnosis and follow-up of over 1,000 cancer patients a year.
“This technology is amazing and I’m proud to be a part of it! Before, there were patients who either had to travel to the GTA or opted-out of a scan because of the drive,” explains Dr. Ozimok. “Having the PET-CT across the hall from the RVH’s cancer centre makes it so much easier for patients to get this critical test and begin treatment faster.”
