Vitalsigns 2016 | Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre
Our donors are part of our team
Making access to care golden The sunsets might be golden as seen from the deck of Donna and Conrad Huber’s Port Severn home, but their access to advanced cardiac care sure isn’t. With no advanced cardiac services available within North Simcoe Muskoka, they don’t have access to the gold standard of cardiac care – treatment within 90 minutes of a heart attack.
As the largest health centre in the region, they made RVH one of their first stops and called the health centre’s Foundation for a tour. The tour included a walk through the health centre and a discussion about RVH’s future plans, among which is to bring advanced cardiac care close to home.
Donna and Conrad Huber from Port Severn have made their largest personal pledge to RVH’s Advanced Cardiac program.
The couple wants to change that picture, and not just for themselves, but for everyone in the region who currently lives outside that 90 minute window. The Hubers have made a $500,000 pledge, over five years, to RVH’s planned Advanced Cardiac program. The couple has always lived a life of philanthropy, however, this gift is the largest personal pledge the couple has ever made and they can’t wipe the smiles off their faces. “It feels wonderful to be able to do this,” says Donna. “Giving back to the community in which you live is so important and it doesn’t matter how much you give - the feeling is the same. We have given $3,000 all the way up to this $500,000 pledge and the feeling is the same. It just feels good to give back.” The Hubers have been spending their summers at the family home in Gloucester Pool in Severn Township. Now, after Conrad’s retirement as executive vice president and part-owner in Piller’s Sausages & Delicatessens Ltd., which was founded by his family in 1957, the couple decided to leave the Waterloo area and turn their seasonal retreat into a permanent home. And part of that move was to investigate the healthcare options.
The Hubers were impressed with the beauty of the building itself and with the state-of the art technology, but shocked there are no advanced cardiac services, a fact they first heard mentioned on their favourite radio station, The Dock 104.1. It was during the tour they learned there was a plan in place to rectify that situation and they both knew they wanted to be part of it. “We were so impressed that before I even left the building, I already had a dollar figure in my head. I didn’t tell Donna and then out in the parking lot she told me what she was thinking in terms of a donation and it was the exact figure I was thinking,” says Conrad. “So before we even got out of the parking lot we knew what we were going to do.”
“We are so happy to be able to support the Advanced Cardiac program – we just hope we never have to use it,” says Conrad.
Their generous gift will be used to support the Advanced Cardiac program, scheduled to open in 2017. www.rvh.on.ca | Like our Facebook Page: Team RVH | Follow us on Twitter: @TeamRVH
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