the
FOUNDATION
report
Fall 2019
Heidi Molenaar, grateful patient, with sons Bryden and Logan.
In This Issue: Message from Our ACTING CEO Page 2
ROBOTIC SURGERY: THE FUTURE IS NOW Page 2
MEET AN INSPIRING FATHER-AND-SON TEAM Page 3
SPOTLIGHT ON DEMENTIA CARE Page 4
EMBRACING A BRIGHTER, HEALTHIER FUTURE The spring of 2015 was like any other. I was healthy, active, and 36 years young, working full-time and taking care of my two boys, Bryden and Logan. But for several months I had been suffering from headaches. Like many people, I brushed them off, and blamed it on my sinus issues. On Friday, April 10, I experienced a catastrophic headache that could not be ignored. The next morning, knowing something was terribly wrong, I went to the hospital. I remember seeing the door to the triage room open, hearing a nurse say, “It’s your turn” and responding, “I don’t think I can make it.” That was the last memory I have of that day. Continued on page 5.
Message from our acting ceo It has been an honour and a privilege to serve as UHKF’s Acting CEO—to be a bridge between its founding CEO, Denise Cumming, and her successor. I am pleased to tell you that UHKF’s Board has announced that Tamás (Tom) Zsolnay will become the Foundation’s new President and CEO. He comes to us from the University of Victoria with extensive experience in health care and university fundraising. These months of interim leadership have been rewarding. Having served as Vice President of Public Affairs and Development
Karen Humphreys Blake President and CEO (acting)
at Kingston General Hospital from 2002-2009, I was present when our community’s healthcare leaders first imagined a joint fundraising effort. Reflecting on UHKF’s impact since that time —two successful capital campaigns, the Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario, Providence Care Hospital, new research facilities, modernized and refurbished clinics—the Foundation has exceeded what many of us envisioned nearly twenty years ago. From where we were, to where we are, to where we’re going, our donor family is our touchstone: steadily growing, never failing to rally around the cause of health care when it matters most. There will be new challenges ahead, to be sure. Thankfully, the future of health care looks a little brighter, every day, because of your loyalty and generosity.
ROBOTIC SURGERY: THE FUTURE IS NOW! As the keynote speaker at UHKF’s spring Circle of Care luncheon, Dr. Robert Siemens, Head of Urology at Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC), and a Professor of Urology at Queen’s University, celebrated the newly launched A. Britton Smith Q.C. Robotics Program. Declaring himself an “unapologetic cheerleader” for recent innovations in KHSC’s surgical program, Dr. Siemens pointed to a slide of a robotic surgical system: “What I used to say is this is the future of prostate cancer surgery. I’m proud to say that this is no longer the future, this is now.” Dr. Siemens thanked Brit Smith for his generosity, and the Foundation and hospital leadership for their advocacy, calling the robot “the biggest thing that has happened to me in my career.” Highlighting some of the dramatic changes in prostate
2 | FALL 2019
UHKF CHARITY GOLF TOURNAMENT IN SUPPORT OF MEN’S HEALTH
Join us on September 19 in support of men’s health for the 2019 UHKF Charity Golf Tournament. The event will be held at the prestigious Cataraqui Golf and Country Club. Registration includes complimentary lunch, use of the driving range, 18 holes, golf cart, and dinner. Call 613-549-5452 ext. 5916 to book now.
cancer treatment over the past decade, Dr. Siemens explained the many benefits of minimally-invasive surgeries. In addition to bringing KHSC in alignment with the “standard of care” across North America and in Europe, it also helps the hospital to recruit and retain the next generation of talented surgeons. David Bailey, a Prince Edward County resident and one of the first patients to undergo robot-assisted surgery at KHSC, also shared his relatively “pain-free” surgery and recovery experience. He thanked Dr. Siemens for his skill and the “visionary donors who have made investing in the technologies of the future a priority.” UHKF is grateful to Bell for sponsoring the Circle of Care luncheons three times a year so that donors can learn more about health care at KHSC and Providence Care.
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Dr. Martin Korzeniowski, Radiation Oncologist, KHSC.
FATHER-AND-SON TEAM INSPIRES GENEROSITY Dr. Martin Korzeniowski is a Radiation Oncologist with KHSC and a two-time recipient of an Honour Your Caregiver (HYC) certificate, a program of the University Hospitals Kingston Foundation (UHKF) where grateful patients can give back while also acknowledging the excellent care they received. Dr. Korzeniowski’s most recent HYC certificate was awarded on Monday, May 27. A little under two years ago “Dr. K.”, as many people call him, returned to Kingston, where he completed his residency, after concluding a one-year fellowship in British Columbia. Today, at the Cancer Centre of Southeastern Ontario, Dr. K. is excited to be able to offer his patients worldclass choices, one of which is prostate brachytherapy. “Patients often tell me how amazing it is,” he says, “to have such incredible treatment, close to home.” In addition to being a proud doctor, Martin is a proud father who made sure to get a photo of the HYC certificate presentation on his own phone, to show his son, Thomas, who has joined the growing ranks of UHKF’s youth philanthropists. Continued on page 6.
THESE SUPERHEROS ARE SUPER GENEROUS! UHKF is grateful to Elite Window Cleaning, and its fearless technicians who, once again, dressed as superheroes to clean the pediatric ward windows at KHSC’s KGH site on June 26. Young patients got to meet their favorite heroes and a portion of the day’s proceeds were donated back to the pediatrics department. Thanks to Elite Windows for making the future of health care look brighter!
Spotlight on Dementia Care Pilot Project at Providence Manor Q&A with Danielle Preston, Coordinator, Recreation and Volunteer Services, Providence Care’s Providence Manor.
We understand training is a big part of the Dementia Care Pilot Project—can you tell us more? As caregivers we cannot change the dementia but we can change the way we meet people with dementia. With training in a variety of dementia care models—we have chosen four for this pilot project—no matter the situation, we are going to be able to pull something from our tool belt that will apply. What are your goals? Among the benefits we hope for are reductions in falls, depression, and use of
psychotropic medication. Most importantly we hope to better understand each resident and be more skilled in meeting them where they are, not where we think they need to be.
workarounds: if a solution to Mrs. Smith insisting she must get on the bus is to turn a chair in the hallway into a bus stop, your peers will know the type of tool you are using. It’s not going to feel risky or strange.
What accounts for the preexisting gaps in training? Personal Support Worker training is heavily task-oriented. At Providence Manor we want our staff to go beyond the tasks to help our residents find meaning, joy and hope. Why train everyone? If everybody has the same tools it will normalize creative
How will this pilot project impact the new home? Be it in this home, or the new one, keeping the learning going is an ongoing and necessary process. We are going to be moving to a new home, so why not move there with a model for staff education that supports our core values?
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EMBRACING A BRIGHTER, HEALTHIER FUTURE Continued from page 1.
and focus on the “Now what?”
On Tuesday April 14, I woke up in the Kingston Health Sciences Centre (KHSC) Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the Kingston General Hospital (KGH) site. My parents were by my side. I couldn’t grasp anything but the basics: “You’ve had a stroke; you’re in the hospital; you’re being taken care of.”
In the fall of 2018, I organized a slow-pitch tournament to benefit the KHSC Neurology Department as a way of saying thanks and giving back. There was a moment when I stepped back and just observed. Two teams were playing, my volunteers were coordinating the raffle table, my family was barbecuing and I thought, “I really like being me. I love being human right now.”
I have never regained any memory of those three missing days. I don’t remember the early morning hours of Sunday, April 12, when I underwent an urgent MRI. That indispensable piece of medical equipment helped my neurologist to understand that my right vertebral artery had collapsed. It gave him critical details that helped inform the surgery to remove the portion of my brain that had died as a result of the stroke. The road to recovery following a stroke and neurosurgery is a long one. I didn’t get answers to the “Why me?” I had to reconcile that I suffered a stroke for unknown reasons 5 | FALL 2019
So many skilled men and women and so much state-of-the-art equipment were involved in my timely diagnosis and treatment. With compassion and excellence they save lives at KHSC every day. I will be forever grateful that mine was one of them. I recently had the opportunity to see the new MRI machine at the KGH site. The workhorse for the hospital that helped save my life, and that has saved tens of thousands more during its time, finally has a bright, shiny new partner to pitch in and help meet the
rising demand, which is a good thing because there are more Heidi Molenaars out there. Somewhere in this, or a nearby community, there is a young mother who has no idea she might be the new face of stroke. Like me, she’s powering through her life, pressing on in spite of mysterious headaches. Unlike me, though, she has not brushed off her recurring headaches. She has gone to see her family doctor and that doctor has faxed a requisition for an MRI. But because she is a lower priority, and not a middle-of-the-night emergency, she must wait. Thanks to the generosity of people like you, who made the new MRI possible, she and others will, hopefully, not have to wait much longer.
“
I really like being me. I love being human right now.” - Heidi Molenaar, grateful patient
the
FOUNDATION
report FALL 2019
Thomas Korzeniowski, UHKF youth philanthropist.
FATHER-AND-SON TEAM INSPIRES GENEROSITY Continued from page 3. “Thomas woke up one day last year,” says Martin, “and told us he wanted to raise money for the hospital.” Thanks to his son’s youthful initiative—and some pretty delicious pumpkin bread—Thomas’ fall bake sale was a huge success, and raised $215 for KHSC’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Pediatrics to, as Thomas says, “help sick kids, and babies, too.”
“Thomas woke up one day last year and told us he wanted to raise money for the hospital.” - Martin, Thomas’s father
The Korzeniowskis are a one-of-a-kind father-and-son team who show us what is possible when excellent care and generous hearts come together to make the future of health care brighter for everyone. If you or someone you love has received excellent care and you wish to make a donation in their honour visit uhkf. ca. Honorees will receive your personalized message and a special certificate.
EXCLUSIVE NEW STOPS ON POPULAR HEALTHCARE TOURS UHKF has announced new stops for the free McCoy Passport to Healthcare Tours that include state-of-the-art patient therapy areas at Providence Care Hospital, KHSC’s gold standard treatment for high-risk skin cancers at the HDH site and stroke treatment at the KGH site. Tours will run on September 17 and November 12 at 3:00 p.m. Call 613-549-5452 ext. 5910 to reserve your seat!
uhkf.ca 55 Rideau Street, Suite 4 Kingston ON, K7K 2Z8 613.549.5452 uhkf.ca