The faces of our $100 million fundraising campaign

Here are some of the people who give their best in the fight against cancer; patients, doctors, and medical teams who have kindly shared their time and desire to make a difference by becoming spokespeople for Together Against Cancer — a special collaboration between the Cedars Cancer Foundation and the Montreal General Hospital Foundation.

From democratizing access to clinical trials to developing care programs tailored to the needs of each individual patient, performing life-saving surgeries, or fighting courageously against the disease, here are some of the real faces of cancer care and research.

As we enter the public phase of this major campaign, you’ll see these faces on posters, social media, TV, and bus shelters. You’ll see them in action in powerful images that we hope will inspire you to give the best you can to help them.

Discover these incredible experts and learn why being part of this campaign is so important to them.

Marie-Lucie

Patient in remission

An active professional with teenage kids, Marie-Lucie was diagnosed with breast cancer in the spring of 2023 and is now in remission.

“I’ve received so much from the hospital where I was treated, and from all the people involved, that it’s only natural for me to give back by getting involved in this campaign.”

Armen

Patient in remission

This Montreal General Hospital security guard, was diagnosed with Stage 3 lung cancer and enrolled in a clinical trial led by Dr. Jonathan Spicer. He is now in remission.

“Thanks to Dr. Spicer and the whole team, I am now doing well and back to work. I am grateful to be alive. It’s not only me; this team saved the lives of many other patients.”

Dr. Ahmed Aoude

Oncology Surgeon, MUHC

As part of MUHC Surgeon-in-Chief Dr. Liane Feldman’s Future of Surgery initiative, Dr. Aoude believes technology, such as robotics and augmented reality, can help make complex surgeries less invasive and more precise.

“As doctors, we are touched by every patient we see. I feel personally blessed to be able to help patients who are in great need. When I heard there was a fundraising campaign to help improve patient care, research, and overall survivorship, I jumped right in. That’s why I’m here and doing what I do.”

Dr. Jonathan Cools-Lartigue

Thoracic Surgeon, Clinician Scientist, MUHC

Dr. Cools-Lartigue is testing a new strategy to stop metastasis that examines what makes a person’s immune system blind to the cancer cells and allows the tumour to grow.

“I don’t think I can stress enough how important community support and philanthropy are to help us carry on vital research. We strive for excellence in care and treatments for all our patients.”

Dr. Tarek Hijal

Director, Division of Radiation Oncology, MUHC

Dr. Hijal aims to bring the latest technologies to the MUHC to make radiation therapy more precise and with fewer side effects, such as specialized equipment and a new centre for AI in oncology.

“To me, it’s important to be part of this campaign, because we see there’s a lot of strain on our healthcare system. The foundations allow us to do more for our patients, and I wanted to contribute to help raise funds to allow us to do better work, better research, and provide better patient care.”

Virginia Lee, RN, PhD

Manager, Supportive and Palliative Care Program and Services, MUHC

Co-Director, Cedars CanSupport

Ms. Lee understands that geriatric patients as well as younger people with cancer face different challenges and fears. She helped develop the new Jackie Aziz AYA Program at Cedars to meet the unique needs of adolescent and young adult patients.

“I’ve been an oncology nurse for 32 years, working as a clinician, as a researcher, and as a manager. I’ve heard a lot of patients’ stories. Some patients are very articulate and have their own voices, but some patients have difficulty expressing themselves and requesting the services they need. All patients deserve the best care. By supporting this campaign, I’m hoping we can raise the funds we need to continually raise the bar.”

Dr. Ramy Saleh

Medical Director, Oncology Clinical Trials, RI-MUHC

Staff Medical Oncologist, MUHC

Dr. Saleh co-founded and leads the Sarcoma Research Consortium of Québec (SaRC-Q), a consortium of sarcoma experts from over 12 hospitals that aims to standardize sarcoma care across the province and provide patients with better access to clinical trials.

“The reason this campaign is important is that cancer touches every family – including mine. I’m participating in the campaign because I want to do whatever I can to beat cancer, to advance research and grant patients potential avenues to prolonged, healthier lives.”

A heartfelt thank you to our creative agency Archipel for helping us build the communications for this outreach campaign, as well as SOMA and director Jimmi Francoeur for creating such powerful images. We also want to thank Quebecor for their support with the visibility of this campaign.