September 12, 2024
The Quebec Cancer Foundation has been a crucial pillar for thousands of Quebecers since 1979. With staunch dedication and visible kindness, the Foundation has improved the well-being of over half a million people by offering complementary services on the periphery of the healthcare network as well as comforting support that has proven itself invaluable to those who must cope with the illness. Most importantly, our growth and achievements over the past 45 years would have been impossible without your unwavering support.
Your impact in 20231
- Over 17,000 complementary therapy sessions.
- Close to 135 telephone peer matching conversations with volunteers.
- Over 3,850 interventions thanks to our Info-cancer Hotline.
Challenges in 1979
“The Quebec Cancer Foundation was created to bolster existing initiatives and efforts in the fight against cancer. It also sought to meet the essential needs of patients, particularly concerning lodgings for those who lived far from major centers. At the time, there were no facilities able to adequately lodge patients whose homes were in some of the province’s more remote regions. Many of these people, in addition to coping with cancer, had no loved ones with whom they could stay, nor the financial means to pay for a hotel room while undergoing treatment. Our decision to fill this gap and our subsequent offer in this regard is what sets us apart today: we have the largest such lodging network in the province, and we could not be any prouder.
The Foundation is now acknowledged as providing essential services, and may it remain so forever. We must continue to understand the growing needs of patients and mobilize the resources required to help them. This approach will allow us to further enhance our offer as a means of helping yet more Quebecers,” explained cofounder of the Quebec Cancer Foundation Dr. Michel Gélinas.
A few of today’s challenges
- Every 8 minutes, someone is diagnosed with cancer.
- The population is aging.
- Access to services has become increasingly difficult.
- The healthcare system is getting harder to navigate over time.
This year, the Foundation went even further, introducing two new initiatives to do yet more. First, the Oncology financial support program, with funding of $1 million over 4 years, to help Quebec hospital centers improve their services focused directly on oncology patients. Second, a revamped version of our corporate support program, a resource to help companies and their personnel better manage the repercussions of cancer thanks to personalized support and workplace interventions. Starting this fall, the organization, in partnership with Danièle Henkel — businesswoman and proud ambassador of the Foundation — will begin this conversation during a tour of the province’s chambers of commerce. Keep checking in for further details.
As Foundation General Manager Marco Décelles said so well: “After 45 years of unrelenting work, we have accomplished great things, but our mission is far from achieved. Today, we reiterate our tireless determination to strengthen our ecosystem to improve the lives of all patients with cancer and their loved ones, regardless of the region of Quebec in which they live. As such, we are proud to announce that a seventh Lodge will open its doors in 2025; more details will be available shortly. In 1979, we would have never dared dream so big… but today, thanks to you, we keep growing, innovating, and building a better future. Your unconditional support has been and is instrumental: it is helping us save lives!”
From all of us, our heartfelt thanks!
- Extract from the Quebec Cancer Foundation’s 2023 Annual Report
- Data as of August 30, 2024
