When I think about my late sister Mia, I feel immense gratitude for the exceptional care she received at the Jewish General Hospital (JGH) throughout her life.

I’m John, and I want to share how much the Hospital helped Mia and our family. It wasn’t always easy, but her story is one of resilience, shaped by the dedication and expertise of the JGH team across multiple departments. The JGH staff’s kindness and skill made all the difference.

Imagine if everyone in need of care had such a village to support them – how much better this world would be!

Mia was born at the JGH in 1950 and returned to the Hospital many times throughout her life. From a young age, her teachers noticed how bright and creative she was. As a teenager, she was admitted to the JGH’s Psychiatry Unit and began receiving regular treatment to help with her mental health challenges and eventual schizophrenia diagnosis.

Despite her struggles, Mia found joy in creating beautiful handmade works of art – from paintings to toques and blankets that offered comfort and expressed her appreciation. Her artwork is displayed at the Department of Psychiatry's outpatient clinic and many of her caregivers have pieces of her work in their homes.

In her later years, Mia faced new health challenges. She was diagnosed with breast cancer and in preparation for surgery doctors discovered she had been living with a heart condition. The complexity of her medical needs could have been overwhelming, but the teams at the JGH worked together with great skill to guide her care. It’s this kind of collaborative, compassionate care that donors make possible.

Mia received chemotherapy and radiation. Her heart health was closely monitored by a cardiac team throughout. They performed an angioplasty and carefully chose her medications, balancing her cancer treatment with her mental health and cardiovascular needs.

It wasn’t just the doctors who made a difference – it was the entire JGH support team. Mia’s nurses, social workers, and therapists formed the "village" that came together to make sure she received the best care possible. Mia came to know her entire circle of care by name.

Mia passed away in 2020. I miss her very much, but I’m thankful for the world-class service she received at the JGH throughout her life.

That’s why my family has made a meaningful contribution to the hospital, including research at the JGH’s Department of Psychiatry. It’s my way of honouring Mia’s memory and ensuring other patients receive the same quality of care. It’s also why we encourage others to give to the JGH annual fund, which supports a wide range of departments across the Hospital.

Across the JGH, it takes a village to provide the best patient care. You can be a part of making that possible.

John A. Myers
JGH Donor

This holiday season, you can help JGH patients like Jenn benefit from outstanding care during critical moments. Until December 31, 2024, your donation will be generously MATCHED by our Board of Directors!

Jenn’s pregnancy took a turn at 17 weeks. Her amniotic fluid leaked, she had signs of infection and markers of a poor prognosis. Jenn and her husband feared the worst, particularly since she had recently lost another pregnancy.  

Jenn required three types of antibiotics with five infusions a day. She spent 14 days bedridden at the JGH while she was being treated. She struggled to cope mentally. “I was feeling very down being in a hospital bed daily, away from my daughter and not knowing the outcome of the treatment,” Jenn said.

After two weeks of treatment, Jenn was still at risk. But the hospital stay was taking a toll on Jenn and her young family. She had been living apart from her four-year-old daughter for two weeks. The couple couldn’t see a light at the end of the tunnel. Would they make it through the pregnancy? Or face another crushing loss?

Then came a pivotal moment. Her physician, Dr. Roberta Shear knew that Jenn was feeling critically low and discouraged. She could see the impact that the hospital stay was having on her patient. That’s when she made a game-changing suggestion: the JGH’s donor-supported Hospital@Home program. This program would enable Jenn to be monitored remotely in the comfort of her own home.

For Jenn, going home was a groundbreaking shift in her care, and she was extraordinarily grateful for the experience. She had virtual check-ins with nurses three times a day and took intravenous antibiotics through a peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC). Her husband carefully administered the treatment twice a day for two weeks.

Every morning, she reported her vital signs to healthcare staff using a pulse reader, scale, thermometer, and blood pressure cuff. Her medication was conveniently dropped off at her home every morning.

It was a radical change from her experience of being bedridden at the JGH. “When I got to go back home, I was elated,” Jenn said. “My mood completely changed.” With her daughter close by and her familiar surroundings restored, Jenn felt more hopeful and relaxed.

Six weeks after the initial intervention at the JGH, the threat of infection had passed. Jenn was on bedrest at home for the next six months of her pregnancy, and gave birth to a healthy boy, Lou, in July.

Donors like you empower the JGH to push the limits of research, innovation, and technology to enhance the patient experience. By supporting the JGH annual fund, you give the JGH flexibility to seize opportunities to provide the best possible care.

This holiday season, give back and help us make more tomorrows for patients. Donors like you contribute to initiatives like the Hospital@Home program and other critical JGH priorities.

Hurry! Until December 31, 2024, your donation will be generously MATCHED by our Board of Directors!

*Donations to the JGH annual fund will be matched up to a total of $100,000 until December 31, 2024.

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My name is David Shashoua. I’m 55 years old, and thanks to the JGH and the generosity of donors, I am spending the holidays at home with my family.

I was treated at the JGH for a severe drug reaction known as DRESS (Drug Reaction with Eosinophilia and Systemic Symptoms), which developed after I underwent an MRI scan. This past summer, I was accepted into the Hospital@Home program.

If you haven’t heard of it, this program allows eligible patients to be monitored and cared for remotely by healthcare staff in the comfort of their own homes. Thankfully, I met the criteria to be admitted to the virtual ward. I was sent home, and my vitals were monitored remotely. I was given all the tools I needed, which included daily delivery of my medication. Every morning, I checked my heart rate, blood pressure, blood sugar levels and temperature. I shared the information with the nursing team.

At one point, I was even given a battery-powered pump that I carried inside a holster across my shoulder. It was connected to an IV in my arm to deliver antibiotics. The team really gave me everything that was needed to safeguard my health.

For me, being home throughout my treatment and recovery meant everything. It meant I was home every night with my wife and children. It meant I could help with simple chores around the house, walk my dog, and continue to run my company.

For the hospital and our overwhelmed healthcare system, it meant that I wasn’t occupying a bed. A bed that could be used for someone who really needed it.

You can support the healthcare system by helping to fund critical initiatives like the JGH’s Hospital@Home. You can support exceptional patient care, groundbreaking research, and forward-thinking innovation at the JGH.

As a patient of Hospital@Home, I learned that this program is funded by donor dollars.

So, when you think about what kind of impact you want to have this holiday season, I hope I can convince you to make a generous gift to the JGH. Your support will help bring patients like me home for the holidays.

Until December 31, your impact will be even greater because the JGH Foundation’s Board of Directors is matching your donation to the JGH annual fund, dollar-for-dollar!* 

That means your donation will have TWICE THE IMPACT!

The JGH is a true trailblazer. It is constantly innovating and bringing new programs to improve the patient experience and to solve some of the most urgent challenges our healthcare system is facing.

A donation to the JGH is an investment in better care, better health, and better outcomes.

This holiday season, please give generously, and your gift will be MATCHED!

David Shashoua
JGH Hospital@Home Patient

*Donations to the JGH annual fund will be matched up to a total of $100,000 until December 31st, 2023.

Elevating Level of Care for Breast Cancer Patients

Montreal, November 27, 2023 – For the first time in Quebec, the Jewish General Hospital (JGH), a member facility of CIUSSS West-Central Montreal, has used a medical device known as MOLLI® on a breast cancer patient.

The made-in-Canada device implants a tiny tissue marker for localizing lesions for breast surgery. This innovative technology is wire-free and radiation-free.

"The MOLLI device is a game-changer," says Dr. Jean-Francois Boileau (Surgical Oncologist, JGH Segal Cancer Centre), who performed the procedure earlier this month. "From the radiology team that inserts these markers into the patients before surgery to the operating room nurses and surgical oncology teams, this is truly a multi-disciplinary effort that leverages expertise across our healthcare spectrum. We look forward to treating and helping many more patients going forward."

“The procedure was painless, it was a seamless experience," says the patient who wishes to remain anonymous. "The entire team was wonderful. Thank you to everyone who made this possible."

"We are very proud to be the first in Quebec to employ this technology," says Dr. Lawrence Rosenberg, President and CEO of CIUSSS West-Central Montreal. "Innovation is what we’re all about and it’s gratifying to see how technology and clinical expertise continue to be at the forefront of how we provide healthcare in a manner that is safe, more efficient and in line with better outcomes for our patients.”

“Thanks to an exceptional donor, whose vision is to rapidly provide cutting-edge equipment, the Foundation is thrilled to play a role in the introduction of this state-of-the-art procedure. Once again affirming our mission to provide patients in Montreal and the province of Quebec with access to innovative care,” says Bram Freedman, President and CEO of the Jewish General Hospital Foundation.

The MOLLI device:

Video-recording of the procedure:

About the Jewish General Hospital:

The Jewish General Hospital (JGH), repeatedly ranked by Newsweek among the top 3 hospitals in Quebec, among the top 10 in Canada and among the top 125 in the world, is an acute and specialized care McGill University teaching hospital. The JGH has been serving a diverse patient population irrespective of religion, language, or ethnic background since it was founded in 1934.

About the Jewish General Hospital Foundation:

Since 1969, the mission of the Jewish General Hospital Foundation has been to advance healthcare and medical research for the people of Quebec by supporting Montreal’s Jewish General Hospital. The Foundation provides essential assistance to the Hospital to enhance its extraordinary patient care, further scientific discovery, and acquire innovative medical equipment. We partner with inspired community members to implement a variety of fundraising initiatives to achieve the Hospital’s ambitious goals.

Waking up in the hospital was a disorienting experience for me. I couldn’t remember much – in fact, I recalled almost nothing from a week prior to my hospitalization.

It all started on a typical morning. My wife Dorothy and I got up at 6:30 a.m., drank coffee together, and worked on some sudoku puzzles. Then we exercised and had breakfast. Our plan was to shop at Jean-Talon market with friends and go out for lunch.

As I was getting dressed, my heart stopped. I suffered a cardiac arrest.

Dorothy heard me fall and came running to help. She was terrified when she found me unmoving on the floor and called 911. Responding to the crisis, my courageous 76-year-old wife began to administer CPR. as the 911 dispatcher stayed on the phone. She continued CPR until the first responders arrived. The manual pumping from the CPR forced blood through my veins and ensured my brain got oxygen.

I was brought to the Jewish General Hospital (JGH), where the doctors did an angiogram and put me in a medically induced coma. Since I had been without a heartbeat for 20 minutes, they told Dorothy my chances of neurological recovery were low and not to get her hopes up.

But after four days in the induced coma, I woke up! Thanks to my wife, and my good fortune at being taken to the JGH, I was one of the lucky ones. The survival rate for people suffering out-of-hospital (OOH) cardiac arrest is low, but Dorothy, the first responders and the JGH saved my life.

My patient experience was positive in many ways. The Azrieli Heart Centre’s Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit is in the new Pavilion K, and the rooms are state-of-the-art. They come with the latest equipment and technologies to ensure patients like me get the best possible care!

For two weeks, I was cared for by exceptional doctors, nurses, nutritionists, physical and occupational therapists, and a social worker. Dorothy and I were amazed and grateful for the kindness, empathy, and knowledge each medical expert displayed.

In the news, you’ll often hear about the failures of our medical system. But on the front lines, thousands of medical personnel go to great lengths to help their patients. That’s what I witnessed in my time at the JGH. Somehow, my stay in the ICU and the Cardiology department felt comforting and positive, even in light of the trauma Dorothy and I had experienced.

Our lives are mostly back to normal. We can do many of the things we did before, but our perspectives have changed. I have learned that while our current system may not be perfect, private donations to the JGH are quickly invested in equipment, technology, staff, and renovations. I saw it myself first-hand.

It’s undeniable – support from donors makes the difference between a GOOD hospital and a GREAT one. Government funding simply is not enough. That’s why, on behalf of my wife and me, I am asking you to please donate to the JGH annual fund.

Thank you for your support. It truly contributes to the exceptional care at the JGH – and makes all the difference to patients like me.

- Charles

In June 2022, we inaugurated a beautiful recognition installation at the JGH in honour of an exceptional volunteer, Sheila Kussner. We are pleased to acknowledge her awe-inspiring contribution to the field of cancer support with an installation that embodies the hope and support she brought to so many.

In 1981, Kussner founded Hope & Cope, a support centre located at the JGH’s Segal Cancer Centre that is dedicated to the welfare of cancer patients. The Centre’s innovative psychosocial support program is designed to meet the complex emotional and practical needs of cancer patients and their caregivers at every stage -- from diagnosis through treatment, wellness, recovery, recurrence, and when necessary, palliative care and bereavement. 

Kussner, who is herself a cancer survivor, passionately believes that, under the guidance of professionals, volunteers with experience of cancer can provide credible support to fellow cancer patients. Her vision for Hope & Cope has been emulated in similar centres across Canada and around the world due to its innovative psychosocial support program.

RECOGNIZING A PIONEER OF CANCER SUPPORT

She has been recognized time and time again for her pioneering work, including being named an Officer of the Order of Canada, an Officer of the Order of Quebec, and Governor Emerita of McGill University, which also awarded her an LL.D. degree (honora causa).

In 1995, the JGH presented her with its highest honour, the Distinguished Service Award, while in November 2010, she received an honourary doctorate from the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Montreal, which attests to her broad influence in healthcare. In 2013, the JGH Foundation appointed Kussner as Director Emeritus in honour of her unique contribtuion to the Foundation and its mission.

She has received many other honours and tributes. These include, to name a few, the Robert Fisher Fellowship Award (Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City), the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Outstanding Volunteer of the Year Award (Association of Fundraising Professionals – Québec section).

Read more inspiring stories

I was 43 years old and five months pregnant when I was diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

I was terrified. The doctors now faced the challenge of saving two lives: my life and the life of my unborn child.

My team of medical experts included an oncologist, a gynecologist, a surgeon, and a radiologist. They frequently met to determine which treatment path would give us the best chance to have the family we had always dreamed of. I was confident that I was in the best hands.

So, when the decision was made to deliver the baby at 27 weeks by C-Section, I knew it was the best option to give my baby and myself a fighting chance. The plan was clear: once I recovered from the surgery, radiation would begin to shrink my tumour so they could operate to remove it.

William was born weighing under 2 pounds. He was cared for by the fantastic NICU team for three months as I began treatment and eventually underwent surgery.

The JGH made two of our dreams come true! William grew healthier by the day, and my surgery was successful. The JGH doctors were able to remove the cancer.

I am just one example of the incredible life-saving miracles that happen every day at the JGH. I owe it to my dedicated medical team, who cared for my family like we were their own.

I’ve learned that this is largely possible because of generous donors like YOU.

Your donations help families like mine have a second chance. Your donations fund scientific breakthroughs and innovation. They also ensure the best medical experts are available when we need them most.

Today, my son William is two years old. He is a bubbly little kid with a great personality!

I feel so much gratitude for the team at the JGH and the countless donors like you who support the Hospital.

Please give generously to the JGH annual Fund, so they can continue to perform miracles. Donations are invested in the Hospital’s most urgent priorities, like cancer research, the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit, surgical equipment, and world-class medical experts.

You have the power to save lives. I am proof of that! Please give today.

With my family’s heartfelt gratitude,

Rebecca, JGH Patient