The Campbell Family Institute of Breast Cancer
Research at Princess Margaret Hospital
|
Dr. Tak Mak, Director of The Campbell Family
Institute of Breast Cancer Research at
Princess Margaret Hospital autographs "The
Weekend to End Breast Cancer T-shirt"
|
On Wednesday, April 6th, 2005 the Cover-Alls
"Weekend to End Breast Cancer" team, "Yes...
They're Real" was invited to The Campbell Institute
for Breast Cancer Research to meet Dr. Tak Mak.
Our initial contact with Dr. Mak was via
email. We invitited Dr. Mak to be our guest of honour
at "The Weekend to End Breast Cancer" Night
at the Rogers Centre on May 27th, 2005. Dr. Mak was truly
impressed by the theory and concept behind the event and
asked if we would like to visit the facilities and to
meet with him in person.
When we arrived at The Campbell Institute
for Breast Cancer Research we were greeted by Dr.Wiebke
Bernhardt, Medical-Scientific Coordinator. Dr. Bernhardt
introduced us to Dr. Mak.
Dr. Mak is a very personable gentleman who
is truly dedicated to his work and research. This is a
man who is driven by compassion... compassion for everyone
whose life has been touched by breast cancer. Dr. Mak
knows first hand how devastating a diagnosis of breast
cancer can be. His wife Shirley lost a courageous battle
with breast cancer in 1998.
Dr. Mak stated that progress in the field
of breast cancer is definitely being made. Several years
ago, the mortality rate of someone diagnosed with breast
cancer was 35%. Today, that percentage has been reduced
to approximately 25%.
Dr. Mak is confident that this rate will continue to decline
as preventative measures and new treatment plans and drug
therapy options are introduced.
Dr. Mak explained how federal funding for
Breast Cancer research in Canada differs immensely from
that of our American counterparts. Funding for cancer
research in Canada is very limited for all types of cancer,
not breast cancer alone. It is for this reason that facilities
such as The Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer
Research must rely on additional funding and/or the fundraising
initiatives of major corporations and the general public.
Dr. Mak expressed his gratitude to all those
involved in "The Weekend to End Breast Cancer".
He sends a sincere message of "Thank You" to
each and every one for their dedication to the cause and
for helping to raise the money required to fund current
and future research projects.
Dr. Mak went on to say that the enthusiasm
and support of the participants of "The Weekend to
End Breast Cancer" in Toronto is greater than that
of any other city. For this he is truly grateful. He stated
that Toronto is fortunate to have a state-of-the-art breast
cancer research facility where you can actually see your
fundraising dollars hard at work. The money raised in
"The Weekend to End Breast Cancer" is used to
purchase equipment and supplies, fund research projects,
pay salaries, etc.
We spoke for a brief time about several
issues. Dr. Mak then autographed my "Weekend to End
Breast Cancer"
t-shirt and a few personalized candy bar wrappers which
were designed exclusively for him by Coveralls
We thanked Dr. Mak on behalf of all of the
participants of "The Weekend to End Breast Cancer"
for his hard work and dedication in finding a cure for
breast cancer and presented him with a basket of personalized
fundraising items for "The Weekend to End Breast
Cancer". At this point, Dr.Wiebke Bernhardt took
us to the conference center for a slide show presentation
about The Campbell Family Institute for Breast Cancer
Research and current research projects. This was followed
by a tour of the facilities.
In conclusion, I would like to say that
meeting Dr. Mak was a most memorable experience. Dr.Mak
speaks from his heart when he says how grateful he is
to everyone participating in "The Weekend to End
Breast Cancer". He is a man of integrity who is driven
by compassion, .a man who is dedicated to helping others
so that one day, no one will have to suffer from this
dreadful disease. How do I know? All it took was one look
into his eyes. His eyes say it all.
