Published August 20, 2024
When cancer struck someone they loved, David and Catherine Hudson took action. Their philanthropy grew from lemonade stands to a landmark $10 million gift, which will change the face of cancer care in Simcoe Muskoka.
They say home is where the heart is. For many Torontonians and people from across Southern Ontario, their hearts are in Simcoe Muskoka for much of the year. From Huntsville to Innisfil, Barrie to Orillia and Midland to Parry Sound, this region is where they live seasonally, celebrating special occasions and making precious family memories.
Home is often where the heart attack is too – or stroke, or trauma injury. In these situations, those who love Simcoe Muskoka for its wildlife and sense of adventure need to be able to count on its health-care system for life-or-death emergency care.
That was precisely what led Simcoe Muskoka seasonal residents David and Catherine Hudson to donate a stunning $10-million to the Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) Foundation’s Keep Life Wild campaign. This initiative was designed to raise $100-million to help fund the Simcoe Muskoka regional health centre’s planned new cutting-edge facilities in Innisfil and Barrie.
Last year, about 1-in-8 RVH patients were residents of the GTA, many either visiting Simcoe Muskoka or residing there as seasonal residents. Those patients are often surprised to discover, when in urgent medical need, that they are not transported back to Toronto as they assumed, but in fact are treated locally at RVH.
“Those who treasure their time in such a magical place as Simcoe Muskoka, as we do, should realize that, together, we all need to ensure world-class care is in place for them when they need it most,” Catherine Hudson says.
Simcoe Muskoka is one of the fastest growing regions in Canada, with a population expected to double in the next 20 years. Given the prevalence of remote work, Torontonians and other Ontarians are spending more “home time” than ever before at their seasonal residences in the area. Combined with the region’s explosive population growth, the need to ensure that RVH has care in place for life-and-death situations has never been more urgent.
“It’s about recognizing that as this region doubles in size, we need to ensure that RVH and the services it provides meet that growth. For those who have the ability to give, now is the time,” adds David Hudson.
“It’s about recognizing that as this region doubles in size, we need to ensure that RVH and the services it provides meet that growth. For those who have the ability to give, now is the time”
David Hudson
When it comes to complex or life-threatening medical situations, a majority of RVH’s patients live outside of Barrie: 74 per cent of cancer patients (including for radiation oncology), 58 per cent of cardiac patients and 56 per cent of critical care patients. A seasonal resident from downtown Toronto should be able to access the same level of care that they would receive in the big city the rest of the calendar year.
Today’s reality is that governments fund about 70 per cent of the cost of hospital expansion projects, such as the one planned for RVH. That means RVH and community leaders rely on donations, large and small, to support the effort.
In total, the vision for a modernized RVH offering world-class care is a multi-billion-dollar endeavour. To ensure world-class care is available locally, donors can make contributions online through the Keep Life Wild campaign. If you are inspired to give, click the button below to donate now!
We hope others will join the Hudsons and give what they can, so that everyone can rest assured that their hearts will, indeed, be safe at home in Simcoe Muskoka.
A Gift that Changes Lives
The following video premiered during the gift announcement ceremony as a thank you to David and Catherine Hudson for their extraordinary donation of $10 million to RVH’s Keep Life Wild Campaign. It is a testament not only to the power of the Hudsons’ gift but also to how all our donors have supported patients and their care teams since the start of our regional cancer program in 2012.