Soirée en or Celebrates This Year’s Generous Support for Research in Thoracic Cancers
The tropics came to the Four Seasons for dinner, dancing, and an auction at the Montreal General Hospital Foundation (MGHF)’s Soirée en or on December 5. This annual fundraising evening supports transformative cancer research projects led by the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC)’s Division of Thoracic Surgery.
A heartwarming success, this year’s Soirée en or contributed nearly $500,000 to the incredible $4.3 million we’ve raised in gifts and pledges this year to support transformative research projects in thoracic cancers. Headquartered at the Montreal General Hospital (MGH) under the leadership of Dr. Lorenzo Ferri, the department is renowned for treating complex thoracic cancers and providing treatments to patients referred from 42 hospitals across the province. Beyond offering exceptional care, the team works tirelessly to develop personalized, precision treatments.
Their groundbreaking projects aim to transform patient care, improve outcomes, and save lives.
Impactful Philanthropy With Personal Meaning
The evening began with a warm welcome by MGHF President & CEO Stephanie Riddell, who presented our Foundation’s renewed mission and introduced distinguished guests and speakers, including MUHC President and Executive Director, Dr. Lucie Opatrny. “We are incredibly grateful to our fantastic committee, who went above and beyond for this unforgettable fundraising evening,” says Ms. Riddell. “We thank our two co-chairs Heidi Hollinger and Dominic Costantini, and committee members Si Chen, Emiliya Mashkovtseva, and Alexandra Schwartz.”
Co-chairs Ms. Hollinger and Mr. Costantini took the stage and shared personal inspirations for being part of the evening. “My reasons for getting involved are very personal. Cancer has touched my family, as I’m sure it has yours,” Ms. Hollinger says. Mr. Costantini adds, “I’m so personally grateful to each and everyone here who bought a table or a ticket, who answered my phone calls and who is here with us tonight. Thank you. Your support makes all the difference.”
Dr. Ferri and his Team Offer Hope
Dr. Ferri addressed the crowd and thanked this community of supporters. He shared promising insights about his pan-cancer, pan-Canadian precision oncology platform that allows him to grow a replica of a tumour in their lab and test hundreds of drugs on it to find the right one — without exposing patients to drugs that may not work for them.
Dr, Ferri, who is collaborating with five university health centres across Canada, also discussed the new Aune Chair position held by Dae-Kyum Kim, PhD.
Thoracic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Spicer presented his project to equalize access to life-saving clinical trials. He also shared news about another project he’s working on with the Research Institute (RI-MUHC): Lung cancer patients at the MUHC are the among the first in the world to participate in trials that use mRNA technology for personalized cancer treatments.
The third research project we are supporting, thanks to our generous donors, is led by thoracic surgeon Dr. Jonathan Cools-Lartigue. He is testing a new strategy to stop cancer from metastasizing that perceives cancer as a disease of the immune system.
These projects are supported by our Together Against Cancer campaign, a special collaboration with the Cedars Cancer Foundation. Our goal is to raise $100 million to support groundbreaking initiatives that will have a significant impact on cancer care and research. Our message is simple: Every day, patients and medical teams give their best against cancer. We ask that you give the best you can to help them.
After a wonderful meal, guests enjoyed music by DJ Rondo Banks and live band Yordan & the Cuban Martinez Show that brought a tropical flavour to the dance floor. Some even put their golf skills to the test in our mini putt activity — a playful invitation to “give the best you can” in reference to our Together Against Cancer campaign.
Our heartfelt thanks to all our donors!
