Thanks to incredible donors and volunteers, the Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation (TGWHF) is thrilled to report that it has surpassed the goal of raising $1 billion.
The Foundation reports today that as of March 31, 2018 $1.2 billion in philanthropic support has been raised for research, education and the enhancement of patient care at Toronto General and Toronto Western hospitals.
"This is a momentous occasion for our Foundation and hospitals, and would not have been possible without the unwavering support of our donor community and the tremendous work of volunteers and staff," says Todd Halpern, Billion Dollar Campaign Chair, and UHN and TGWHF Board Member.
"Our impact on healthcare and people's lives will only grow stronger thanks to our incredible community who believes in the power of knowledge."
TGWHF has been working toward the billion-dollar campaign goal since 2008, and the funds are already hard at work. Over the past 10 years, philanthropic support has enabled a multitude of world firsts and milestones that have made – and will continue to make – lives better.
Here are just a few examples of what knowledge – and $1.2 billion – can do:
- Advance the mission to preserve memory by working on a drug for Alzheimer's disease
- Restore vision loss though the Argus II Retinal Implant
- Develop a revolutionary surgery that enables patients with paralysis from spinal cord injuries to walk again
- Get us one step closer to a cure for arthritis through the discovery of two osteoarthritis biomarkers
- Stop brain damage from strokes through a new drug, currently in clinical trial
- Put us on a path to eliminating insulin injections for diabetes patients by developing insulin-producing cells from stem cells
- Heal hearts through mechanical heart implants, which take over for the heart when it has failed
- Repair lungs and other organs through
Ex Vivo organ perfusion, which has increased the number of lung transplants we can perform by 70 per cent
- Help make lung cancer disappear through Canada's first minimally invasive robotic surgery to remove even the tiniest of tumours
- Help to cure hepatitis C with a simple drug regimen
Because of our donors, we can continue to pursue new knowledge, advance patient care and, ultimately, make a difference in the lives of millions of people here and around the world.
Thanks a billion
