Thanks to the efforts of Romeo De Gasperis, his family and many others, vital lymphoma research at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is getting a $300,000 boost.

As co-founder of CountryWide Homes, Romeo is behind the construction of many homes in the Greater Toronto Area, but more recently he turned his attention to building support for lymphoma research and education. Thanks to the efforts of Romeo, his family and many others, vital lymphoma research at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is getting a $300,000 boost.

Romeo has a personal connection to both lymphoma and Sunnybrook. Under the expert care of Sunnybrook hematologist Dr. Rena Buckstein, Romeo has twice fought Hodgkin lymphoma into remission.

"The care here was amazing, from the nursing staff right up to Dr. Buckstein," says Romeo, who was diagnosed in 2000. The cancer returned in 2005 and required intense treatment, including high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation.

"It was tough," he says, noting the difficult treatment side-effects he experienced, including weight loss, mouth sores and swelling.

Romeo's lymphoma is in full remission, and though he now has chronic myelogenous leukemia, revolutionary advancements in pharmaceuticals in the last decade have made the condition manageable.

After all he's been through, Romeo jumped at the opportunity to help Lymphoma Foundation Canada (LFC) raise funds. A tribute dinner featuring The Canadian Tenors was held in June in Romeo's honour, raising $2.25 million for the foundation's work - blowing past the original $1.5-million goal.

"It's amazing how people came to the table," says Romeo, who requested that $300,000 of the proceeds be directed by LFC to Sunnybrook's innovative lymphoma research.

Sue Robson, LFC's executive director, is happy to partner with Sunnybrook's Odette Cancer Centre. "It's wonderful for us, because it's part of our mandate to have research as a priority," she says.

"Having private donations is really critical," adds Dr. Buckstein, noting that public funding for research is tight. The foundation's funding will be used to support future hematology research fellows at Sunnybrook.