inthisissue - sunnybrook hospital · inthisissue: anewplanofattack:clinicaltrialfor...

IN THIS ISSUE:A new plan of attack: clinical trial forwomen with operable breast cancer

A personal look at one preemie’s journey

The thinking person’s physio

Fall 2010

SB_Donor Matters.10:Layout 1 9/22/10 4:13 PM

Born almost four months too soon, Hughie Thornhill wastoo tiny even for the “preemie” garments – clothes madeespecially for premature babies – that his mother, AmaliaMuto, had received as gifts from friends and family.

“He was tiny – just 780 grams (1.7 lbs) when he wasborn,” recalls Amalia, whose 24-and-a-half-weekpregnancy was marked by frequent bleeding andextreme fatigue. “He was actually smaller than myhand.”

But finding the right-sized clothing for her newborn wasthe least of Amalia’s worries. Hughie had a long list ofserious health problems that included a brain bleed,meningitis, damaged lung tissue, pneumonia and apotentially blinding eye disease called retinopathy ofprematurity.

Doctors gave him a 50% chance of survival.

“In the beginning, he wasn’t breathing at a hundredpercent so he had to be given oxygen or his skin wouldgo blue,” recalls Amalia, who gave birth at Sunnybrook’sbirthing centre, which until last month was located atWomen’s College Hospital. “I was really scared that Iwould lose my child.”

As part of Sunnybrook’sWomen & BabiesProgram, the neonatalintensive care unit(NICU) provides criticalcare for infants who areextremely premature orseriously ill, as well ascontinuing care forinfants with moderaterisk complications. Of the 4,000 babies born each yearat Sunnybrook, about 1,200 spend time in the NICU.

Close to 200 full and part-time health care providerswork at the NICU, including neonatologists, respiratorytherapists, nurses and nurse practitioners, dieticians andpharmacy technicians. Each team member is trainedspecifically to care for preemies.

Hughie, now a normal, healthy toddler, loves zoomingaround his backyard on his trike. His mother, Amalia,believes her son is alive today because of Sunnybrook’sexpertise in caring for premature infants.

Support the Women & Babies Program with yourdonation at sunnybrook.ca/match.

SmallWonders

We’re open! Sunnybrook is pleased to announce that we have opened our new state-of-the-art home for thepatients, families and staff of our Women & Babies Program at Sunnybrook's Bayview Campus. Take a peek at thestunning new facility with our virtual tour at sunnybrook.ca/tour.

Morning Glory MuffinsIngredients• 1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour• 1⁄2 cup whole wheat flour• 1 1⁄4 cups white sugar• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon• 2 teaspoons baking powder• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt• 2 cups grated carrots• 1 apple - peeled, cored, and chopped• 1 cup raisins• 1 egg• 2 egg whites• 1⁄2 cup apple butter• 1⁄4 cup vegetable oil• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract• 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts• 2 tablespoons toasted wheat germ

Directions1. Preheat oven to 375º F (190º C). Lightly oil

18 muffin cups, or coat with nonstickcooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs,egg whites, apple butter, oil and vanilla.

3. In a large bowl, stir together flours, sugar,cinnamon, baking powder, baking sodaand salt. Stir in carrots, apples and raisins.Stir in apple butter mixture until justmoistened. Spoon the batter into theprepared muffin cups, filling them about3⁄4 full.

4. In a small bowl, combine walnuts andwheat germ; sprinkle over the muffin tops.

5. Bake at 375º F (190º C) for 15 to 20minutes, or until the tops are golden andspring back when lightly pressed.

2

Prep Time: 15 Min. • Cook Time: 20 Min. • Ready In: 35 Min.

Approved by Sunnybrook Clinical DieticianRecipe Courtesy of: allrecipes.com

Nutritional InformationServings Per Recipe: 18Amount Per Serving• Calories: 194• Total Fat: 4.2g• Cholesterol: 12mg• Sodium: 175mg• Total Carbs: 37.3g• Dietary Fiber: 2g• Protein: 3.1g


3

Since he was a small boy in his native Philippines, Jeffrey Andrion knewwhat he wanted from life. He longed for a career that would see him helping

the sick, especially those afflicted with pain.But there was more to it. He also wanted acareer that would let him do research tobetter understand all the factors that robbedthe sick and disabled of their quality of life.

In search of that perfect job he has travelledhalfway around the world. Today Andrion,now in his thirties, is a physiotherapist withSunnybrook’s Holland MusculoskeletalProgram. His job, however, involves muchmore than helping those with disabilitiesrestore body functions.

Thanks to financial support fromSunnybrook he has earned a masters

degree from York University (focused oninjuries caused by land mines), conducted research into the socialimplications of disabilities and co-chairs a University of Toronto sub-committee organizing a major international conference on the social impactof disabilities in Third World nations.

“Ever since I first landed in Canada in 2002, I dreamed of working at awonderful teaching hospital like Sunnybrook,” he says. “There is so muchmore to helping those disabled by illness or injury resume normal lives.Disabilities affect the way others look at you and treat you; they affect theway you look at yourself.”

“At Sunnybrook, I find great support for research into these areas becausethe focus is on adding to the overall sum of medical knowledge, not just thatwhich directly impacts your day-to-day job.”

He adds: “Sunnybrook understands that rehabilitation involves much morethan restoring physical functions. We must also treat the social andpsychological impact disabilities have. There are very few places in theworld where a physiotherapist like me can combine his passion for researchwith his daily responsibilities, but Sunnybrook is one of them.”

Did you know…• The Holland MSK Program is

the largest centre for jointreplacement surgery inCanada.

• We have an annual volume ofapproximately 5,000 electiveorthopaedic surgical cases(including close to 2,100 hipand knee replacementprocedures) and more than80,000 ambulatory care visits.

• It is recognized nationally forthe complexity of surgeryperformed, strength in patientfocused care and innovativeapproaches to research,treatment and rehabilitation.

• The Working ConditionProgram offers access to ateam of health careprofessionals and state-of-the-art facilities that providecare and education related tomuscle and joint injuries. As ahospital-based provider, weoffer a unique array ofservices that produceeffective results foremployees.

• We offer engaging andinformative education on avariety of useful topics thatencourages participation inworkplace injury prevention.

The thinking person’s physio

Get the lead out, girls!A recent Sunnybrook study showed that physical activity in teenage girls has a direct bearingon their brain health later in life. “Youth who are active have better cognitive and academicperformance. We think it is possible that early-life physical activity – similar to early-lifeeducation – could help to build ‘cognitive reserve’ that has long-lasting benefits,” says Dr.Laura Middleton, principal investigator of the study. And it’s never too late for the rest of us.Women who were inactive in adolescence but became physically active in later life had lowerrisk of cognitive impairment than those who remained inactive. So get your game on!

Pho

to:S

hutterstock.com


4

A new plan of attackThe first stop for new breast cancer patients is usually the operatingtable. But a current trial may show that for many women,chemotherapy is the place to start.

Wendy Wilson was on a healthy living path – making better choices and hitting the gymregularly – when the 55-year-old information technology worker from Ajax, Ont., heardthose life-altering words: breast cancer.

Soon after being told in May that the lump in her right breast wasn’t just one of themany benign cysts she has had drained over the years, Ms. Wilson was meetingwith Sunnybrook’s Dr. Jean-Francois Boileau – and on her way to contributing toresearch that may one day turn breast cancer treatment protocol on its head.

“From the time my doctor couldn’t drain the cyst, to the time I went for anultrasound and mammogram, and then saw the surgeon [Dr. Boileau], it was abouttwo weeks. He did the biopsy right there and got me the result within a week,”Wendy says.

The Montreal-trained surgeon, who joined Sunnybrook’s oncology team lastSeptember, has served as a lifeline of sorts for Wendy. Shortly after meeting Dr.Boileau, she became one of 522 participants in a clinical trial for women withoperable breast cancer.

But what about the perception that treatment for a breast cancer diagnosis means surgery to removethe tumour (or possibly the breast) followed by cancer-cell killing chemo? Is chemo before surgery like putting theproverbial cart before the horse? It’s an important question, given that one in nine Canadian women is expected todevelop breast cancer during her lifetime, and one in 28 is expected to die from the disease, according to theCanadian Cancer Society.

Besides better targeting cancer cells, lowering the risk of recurrence and increasing survival, giving chemotherapybefore surgery has been shown to reduce tumour size, usually meaning more of the breast can be saved duringsurgery.

Wendy, for one, is preparing for surgery likely around the end of this year with her eye on the prize – a breast cancer-free future for herself and others. “Sometimes I think, ‘My God, my life is completely upside-down. I don’t go towork, I’m not doing the things I usually do.’ But I can either lie in bed and be depressed, or say, ‘I still have things Ineed to do.’ Now I’m starting to go out with my friends and I love being around my grandchildren.”

The Breast Cancer Program at S

Did you know…• Our Breast Care Program offers one of the largest, highly-specialized breast cancer care teams in Canada who

also lead in research and clinical trials.

• We are leaders in:• Surgical techniques, including image-guided breast-conserving surgery and sentinel lymph node biopsy• Breast brachytherapy with a revolutionary one hour, post-operative breast seed implant treatment for

early stage breast cancer• Hormonal therapy and chemotherapy


5

t Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

• Sunnybrook is home to the High Risk Breast Clinic which provides consultation for women with afamily history of breast and/or ovarian cancer or other risk factors for breast cancer, such as aprevious abnormal breast biopsy. All breast cancer risk factors are reviewed and an estimate ofrisk is calculated and discussed. Recommendations for screening and risk reduction strategiesare given. The clinic also offers ongoing surveillance to women who meet the risk criteria.

• Achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight may lower breast cancer risk among post-menopausal women. Along with regular physical activity and eating lots of vegetables, fruits,legumes, and whole grains, eating less dietary fat can help you achieve your healthy bodyweight.

Not a moment to wasteWhen a breast tumour is found, the goal is to get it out as fast as possible.Sometimes, the more aggressive ones are too large to be operated on. Often,chemotherapy is used to quickly shrink them to make surgery possible. Thismeans that the shrinking effects of the chemotherapy must be closelymonitored, sometimes difficult to do accurately.

Researchers at the Odette Cancer Centre have developed a new imaging method that can effectively monitortumour activity, as early as one to four weeks from the time it is treated. Diffuse optical spectroscopy measuresinfrared light absorption in tissue. This makes a map of the tumour that’s used to monitor its response tochemotherapy. With this new, more functional imaging method, doctors can decide if the chemotherapy is working –making treatment more effective for individual patients.

Building for the futureBreast Cancer Centre

Innovations developed at our new Breast Cancer Centre will save the lives of thousands of women facingbreast cancer here and around the world. As the only centre of its kind in the country, about a third of womenwith breast cancer in the greater Toronto area will be treated at Sunnybrook. Our existing facilities can nolonger accommodate escalating demand. The Breast Cancer Centre will meet this challenge head-on,increasing space for clinical care, education and research.

Patients can look forward to rapid assessments, reducedtreatment times, greater access to minimally-invasive,image-guided breast-conserving surgery, and novelradiation therapies more tailored to each individual.Construction of the outer shell of the new 30,000 sq. ft.Breast Cancer Centre is already complete and we needyour help to outfit the Centre and open it to care forwomen in 2011.

Fundraising goal: $27 millionRaised to-date: $11.7 million


6

The VeteranIt’s a sweltering weekday morning, but inside Sunnybrook’s KilgourWing, Norman Bell looks dapper in a navy cardigan and ascot. Seatedin a wheelchair, the 89-year-old former stockbroker and World War IIveteran could easily be taken for any other elderly resident on his floor.The difference is that it is largely due to him that they are all there.

When the hospital was transferred from the Department of VeteransAffairs (DVA) to the province in 1966, then-premier John Robartsasked Mr. Bell to join its six-member Board of Trustees. “We weresupposed to see that the veterans were looked after once thehospital was open to the public,” he says. As a board member,however, he was frustrated as funds set aside in the transferagreement for the construction of a new wing remained unspent.

The board at the time, he recalls, “decided that they would ask the DVA to let them have themoney and they would build a wing for the hospital, but not for the veterans. The government was never going toagree to that. It was ridiculous. So the money sat there for six years!” In 1972, when Mr. Bell was made Chairman ofthe Board, he says, “I thought to myself, what’s the first thing I’m going to do? Get the money. That’s why thisbuilding exists.” This year, that same building – Canada’s largest veterans-care facility – became his home, too.

As a young man, he still remembers going with friends from Upper Canada College to volunteer for military duty in1940 and being told they had to finish their university degrees first. “It broke our hearts,” he says. “Then the war gotworse and they said they needed us. They said, ‘we’ll give you your last year and you go volunteer for the army.’Well, we were pleased as punch.” By 1943, he was fighting alongside British General Montgomery’s 8th Army with the48th Highlanders.

To Honour and CherishWhen planning their wedding day, Lindsay and Brandon Gorman wanted aunique way to honour their grandparents during the reception. Because three oftheir grandparents were war veterans, service was something that both familiesshared.

“Instead of spending money on impersonal wedding favours, we wanted toshow our grandparents how much they mean to us by giving back,” saysLindsay. The couple generously chose to donate the favour budget of theirOctober wedding to Sunnybrook’s Veterans Program.

It was the perfect way to honour their grandparents’ service as well asacknowledge their role in the wedding. “The veteran’s wing is a place that’svery special to both families. We knew it would be a meaningful gift thatwould last.”

For more information on our Wedding Recognition Programplease call 416.480.6791 or visit us at sunnybrook.ca/foundation.


X 2,000

7

What itcan mean?By donating 3% of a $50,000annual salary, one person canhave a critically needed impact.When that impact is added tothat of others, the outcome isenormous.

The feel-good formulaResearch shows that donating to a good cause increases our sense ofwellbeing. But we still need to be prompted to give – and one man says that’s allin the math.

A newly launched initiative called GIV3 is aproject of John Hallward’s Montreal-basedHallmont Foundation. The project has astraightforward goal: to encourage Canadiansto give an average 3% of their income tocharities and donate three hours of volunteertime each month.

GIV3 grew out of Mr. Hallward’s familytradition of giving and his own professionallife as a marketing researcher. “I learnedabout giving back from my family at an earlyage,” Mr. Hallward says. “I’m one of 24grandchildren who received a cheque on our21st birthday from our grandmother. Theaccompanying letter read ‘Here’s $500. Butit’s not for you.’ ”

Instead, Mr. Hallward’s grandmother wrote about his obligation to give to peopleless fortunate and how we all have a responsibility to help others. She instructedher grandchildren to choose five charities, donate $100 to each and report backin writing. Successful completion resulted in a $500 cheque of their own. “It wasa gift but with strings attached,” he recalls.

When Mr. Hallward learned that Canadians’ charitable giving is well below 1% ofannual income, he decided to put his professional research skills to work,launching a survey that probed Canadians’ attitudes about charitable giving setagainst their actual levels of giving. The survey came up with surprising results,and helped form the idea of GIV3. Some findings:

• Seven out of 10 Canadians feel they are more generous thanAmericans, when in fact Americans donate double the percentageof income per capita.

• One out of every two Canadians donated at least $100 in 2007 butjust one in ten donated $1,000 or more

• One in four Canadians volunteer with meaningful regularity

GIV3’s website provides a tool for determining what to give based on whatCanadians stated in the survey. In addition to helping Canadians understandhow much to donate, GIV3 links donors to partner organizations so they canresearch organizations they might want to support.

“We want to help Canadians cut through the clutter and noise of charitablerequests which are ever increasing,” says Woodrow Rosenbaum, executivedirector of GIV3. “We are encouraging a more thoughtful approach based onplanning. We want to make giving a part of life. It’s about sitting down with yourfamily or advisors and making some decisions.”

2,000 PEOPLEFully fund our stroke researchprogram

165 PEOPLEA breast ultrasound machine

20 PEOPLEA heart valve

4 PEOPLEA vital signs monitor

1 PERSONTwo cribettes in our NICU


The cover photograph by Ryan Enn

Hughes records the moment that

Sandra Thompson was able to hold her

daughter Hailey for the first time, about

four weeks after the critically premature

girl was born. Turn inside to our Small

Wonders article on page 2 to read about

our Women & Babies Program.

7031509

2075 Bayview AvenueToronto, Ontario M4N 3M5Tel: 416 480 4488sunnybrook.ca/foundation


inthisissue - sunnybrook hospital · inthisissue: anewplanofattack:clinicaltrialfor...

Documents