EDMOND AND GLORIA ODETTE MAKE LANDMARK INVESTMENT AT SUNNYBROOK TO HELP FIGHT CANCER

Gift is the largest the Hospital has received in support of its cancer program and will establish the Edmond Odette Cancer Centre.

Cancer care and research in Ontario received a tremendous boost today in the form of a visionary investment from Edmond and Gloria Odette to Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre’s cancer program. To honour the Odettes’ philanthropy, the Toronto Sunnybrook Regional Cancer Centre, the sixth largest comprehensive cancer centre in North America, will be re-named the Edmond Odette Cancer Centre.

“The Odettes’ investment in our cancer program comes at a tremendously important time for advancing the treatment of cancer here at the Odette Cancer Centre, and for all Canadians,” states Dr. Linda Rabeneck, Vice President, Regional Cancer Services, Sunnybrook and Regional Vice President, Cancer Care Ontario. “Our cancer care providers and researchers are second to none, and this investment will afford them with the exceptional facilities and state-of-the-art equipment to continue their extraordinary work.”

The Odettes’ funding is targeted to improving patient care.  Dedicated advocates of ensuring that all patients have access to the best care available, the Odettes are funding a series of equipment purchases and facilities upgrades, all aimed at giving Hospital healthcare staff the tools and space with which to best treat Sunnybrook’s cancer patients.  The investments range from support of expanded chemotherapy suites to innovative brachytherapy facilities to converting our breast imaging facility to a digital mammography platform.  The entire cancer program at Sunnybrook, and its 10,000 new patients each year, will benefit from the Odettes’ investment.

“We are passionate supporters of Sunnybrook, and have made this investment because we have witnessed firsthand the tremendous work of the staff at the Cancer Centre,” notes Edmond Odette. “We wanted to make our contribution where we felt it would have the greatest impact, and with over a quarter of a million patient visits per year, Sunnybrook’s Cancer Program was the most logical choice.”

Edmond Odette co-founded, with his brother Louis, Eastern Construction, one of the largest construction companies in Canada.  This is not the first time that Ed and Gloria Odette have made a significant investment in Sunnybrook. Along with other initiatives within the Cancer Program, the Odettes have also contributed towards the Endovascular Aneurysm Repair Vascular Program, a minimally invasive technique used to treat high-risk patients at the Schulich Heart Centre, the Ophthalmology Department, purchasing a new PET CT scanner, and equipment for the Otolaryngology Department and the Holland Orthopaedic & Arthritic Centre.

The Odettes have also been active members of the Sunnybrook Foundation’s family and have passed their generous spirit on to the next generation, as their daughter, Anne Odette Kaye is Vice-Chair of the Foundation’s Governing Council and sits on the Sunnybrook Foundation board.

“The contributions the Odettes have made to Sunnybrook and the care provided to the one million patients who rely on the hospital every year really can’t be overstated,” says Jennifer Tory, Chair of the Sunnybrook Foundation Board of Directors. “The Odettes truly stand out as philanthropic leaders in the community and across Canada. From the entire Sunnybrook family and everyone who has benefited from the exceptional care provided here, we thank them.”

The Edmond Odette Cancer Centre (the Odette Cancer Centre) at Sunnybrook is North America’s 6th largest comprehensive cancer centre, provides care to over 10,000 new patients every year.  The Odette Cancer Centre offers a full range of outpatient and inpatient treatment and supportive care programs, is a Cancer Care Ontario partner and is fully affiliated with the University of Toronto.