“I was surprised. I really was,” he told CTV National News.
Gattuso was diagnosed in 2002, the same year her mother died of ovarian cancer.
“I was very lucky with Stage 1 and I had radiation for five and a half weeks,” Gattuso said.
She was treated at the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation in Toronto, a world-renowned center for pioneering cancer research.
On Tuesday, Gattuso and the family of her late husband – Canadian tycoon and philanthropist Alan Slate – announced that the charities they run are donating $ 50 million to support cancer research at the facility.
“It’s an incredible place to heal,” he said.
The gift to The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation is in Slaight’s memory. He died last year at the age of 90.
Fighting tears, Gattuso said: “This is a way to truly honor Alan and give a gift that will have a lasting legacy. Not just for the patients here, but for the whole world.”
The money comes at a time when cancer diagnoses are expected to rise “significantly” after the pandemic.
“Unfortunately, we are losing 232 Canadians every day to cancer,” said Dr. Miyo Yamashita, president and chief executive officer of the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.
“It’s the leading cause of death in this country.”
While COVID-19 has a terrible record, killing more than 37,000 people in Canada, Yamashita says about 170,000 have died of cancer since the beginning of the pandemic.
The donation will be used to attract top researchers and encourage innovative and “unconventional” research.
“We will look at those early-stage research projects, research that could be considered creative in advance,” he said. Aaron Schimmer, director of research at the center.
“Maybe even high-risk research that can have a high chance of failure, but if successful the transition to science that changes the game,” he added.
Gattuso and her late husband were generous donors to the hospital. They donated millions of dollars to fund a Rapid Diagnosis Unit and made a donation of $ 50 million in 2013, which was then the largest private gift in Canada to fund cancer research.
“It’s very important to reciprocate,” Gattuso said.
title: “Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation Receives 50 Million Donation " ShowToc: true date: “2022-10-25” author: “Frederick Grant”
A Toronto hospital that is one of the top 5 cancer research centers in the world has received a $ 50 million gift to find innovations in treatment for the disease and to proceed with recruitment. Named in memory of the late Canadian tycoon and philanthropist, the Allan Slaight Breakthrough Fund will support the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation and allow researchers to approach their work in creative and unconventional ways. The donation from La Fondation Emmanuelle Gattuso, run by his namesake, Mr Slaight’s wife, and from the Slaight Family Foundation, run by Mr Slaight’s son, Gary Slaight, was announced on Tuesday. “Alan would love what this gift stands for – it reflects his curiosity, his creativity and his belief that talented people will accomplish remarkable, magical things when given the strength to do so,” Gary Slaight told Press conference. Alan Slate died of natural causes last year at the age of 90. The gift, which is not linked to a specific research result, comes at a time when cancer is still the leading cause of death in Canada. “It’s a much more deadly epidemic, unfortunately, than COVID,” Dr. Miyo Yamashita, president and CEO of the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation, said in an interview. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus has killed 37,000 Canadians and cancer has killed 170,000, he says. “Every day, 232 people die from cancer.” Dr. Yamashita says that significant contributions are usually linked to specific initiatives or goals. However, he also says that the unspecified nature of this contribution – and its timing – shows the investment required in cancer research. “I think what other potential donors need to understand is that it’s really much more effective, indeed, to give in to scientific research in an unlimited way,” Gattuso said. Dr Aaron Schimmer, director of the research institute at the Princess Margaret Cancer Center and a professor at the University of Toronto whose work focuses on leukemia, said the fund would bring in and hold the next generation of elite cancer researchers, educators and carers. “People are attracted to Princess Margarita because of the incredible environment. “We are looking for the brightest minds in the world and the greatest scientific talent,” he said. “Thanks to such investments, we will be able to find new treatments for these difficult cancers in the coming years.” The Princess Margaret Cancer Center currently treats more than 200 different types of cancer, including some of the rarest. It also houses 183 oncologists, 72 cancer surgeons and 575 nurses. The Slaight family has previously donated $ 50 million to the Princess Margaret Foundation for Cancer in 2013. The Slaight Family Foundation also donated $ 30 million last year to improve mental health care in Canada by increasing the number of inpatients and improving access to treatment and support for young people. In February, it provided $ 15 million to support initiatives focused on addressing the challenges facing women and girls across the country, especially those from indigenous, racial and refugee communities. Our Morning and Afternoon Newsletters are compiled by Globe editors, giving you a brief overview of the day’s most important headlines. Register today.
