2015-2016 Annual Report
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ANNUAL REPORT 2015-2016 Photo: Mikaël Theimer A st� y of ove and enerosity Ulric 5 years old, Acute lymphoblastic leukemia 24-month treatment ANNUAL REPORT 4 2015-2016 5 iving th e Flo� Over ission to our Leaders Leucan promotes the recovery and the well-being of cancer stricken children and supports their families by providing distinctive and tailored services and assistance through every stage of cancer and its side-effects. President of Executive the Association Director he Association’s values Cheez : Studio Photo Service-mindedness, respect, mutual aid, fairness, and excellence enerosity… What a wonderful word fi lled with love, sharing, hat an honour to be named Executive Director of Leucan. In a spirit selfl essness, altruism, gift of self, and respect. of continuity with the action taken by Marie-Line Beauchamp, G I will leverage my competence, passion and energy to maintain, Generosity represents the backbone of Leucan. As the President of your W with appropriate funding, the services recognized as excellent and relevant Association but most especially as a member parent of Leucan, I see by families, as well as all our partners and stakeholders in the fi eld. fi rsthand a wide array of generous acts, big and small, laying the very foundations of Leucan’s action—generous acts which both inspire me and The fall of 2015 saw the adoption of a new strategic plan focussed on give me great confi dence. diversifying our revenue sources to ensure the sustainability of our I can attest that this past year has been full of such generous acts Association and the return to a balanced budget. Though the plan has yet radiating among the families of cancer-stricken children we strive to to bear fruits, the direction towards the diversifi cation of revenue sources eucan in numbers is well underway. I am pleased to see new partners join in Leucan’s mission support. Our thousands of volunteers are the refl ection of this generosity with the gift of their precious time to ensure quiet moments for families to help us obtain the funding we need to provide our services to families. in their diffi cult times. Likewise, the generous and daily dedication of Their support is essential and, we hope, will continue to increase over the staff of Leucan is worthy of mention. the forthcoming years. We are confi dent that we will see conclusive results in the 2016-17 fi scal year. I also want to underline the generous involvement of all members of Over our Board of Trustees and regional committees who have worked with Having the privilege to meet with our member families, I can confi rm that A survival rate me over the last year to ensure that Leucan evolves with the needs they are without question our daily source of inspiration, both because of their increasing from of families. To that end, the team sought the opinion of our members resilience and deep humanity. The smiles and courage of children and their $760,000 79 over the last fi scal year to gain a better understanding of the services parents are a true driving force that pushes us to strive to always do better. employees required and the changes that need to be made in the upcoming years donated directly 15% to 82% to meet evolving needs. Leucan’s executive management is facing numerous challenges and working to the families of Leucan on many projects, but I have the good fortune of working with a highly Services are provided thanks to the generosity of thousands of performing and devoted team. I am extremely proud to be at the head individuals taking part in Leucan’s various fundraising efforts, and of of such a fantastic group of people working tirelessly to provide excellent thousands of donors who make a contribution to Leucan year after year. distinctive and tailored services to families of a child with cancer across the province. In these times of great challenges, I thank them and tip my hat In conclusion, I would like to highlight the contribution of Marie-Line off to them. Beauchamp who assumed the role of Executive Director for the greater part of the past fi scal year and who laid the groundwork of a strong and Over Nearly Availability across relevant strategic plan. In closing, I would like to thank all the members of our Board of Trustees for their warm welcome and invaluable support since I assumed my current Quebec through Together, let’s join our efforts to fuel the circle of generosity that enables position. $10,000,000 us to support and be there for cancer-stricken children and their 35,000 families through this ordeal life is infl icting on them. With that, I wish you all an excellent 2016-17 fi scal year. invested in clinical research 9 hours of volunteer work over the last 20 years regional offi ces Guy Lefrançois Pascale Bouchard Services ANNUAL REPORT 6 2015-2016 7 Miya Gui� aume 4 years old, 5 years old, Acute lymphoblastic Acute lymphoblastic leukemia leukemia 30-month treatment 24-month treatment Photo: Thibault Carron Thibault Photo: elcome and A Caring Presence unding Helping Others Nearly every day in Quebec, Clinical research is unarguably Emotional Supp� t one family receives the terrible Clinical Research the key to improving the diagnosis of a pediatric cancer. treatments available and reducing Leucan makes sure to be there the side-effects of medications on for families from the day of the cancer-stricken children. Over the What saved us was the staff of Leucan entering our room diagnosis and through every stage Research is thus extremely important for us so that an last 20 years, Leucan contributed to explain, to comfort, and to simply tell us that the team of cancer by offering personalized effective cure can be found. For the time being, we cannot more than $10 million to pediatric guidance to support them in their was there for us. It was like a salve on our hearts because think about recovery because a cure does not yet exist.” oncology research, making the ordeal. The Association provides Association the main funder in that moment, we were devastated.” its services directly to families of this type of research in the by establishing itself in all the province. “ Testimonial: pediatric oncology centres in the “ Testimonial: province: Sainte-Justine UHC rior to being faced with a cancer diagnosis, we think ourselves above Centre mère-enfant Soleil du Centre ases like Willem’s are the most fatal to date. It used to be leukemia, everything and don’t realize how fragile life can be. […] On February hospitalier universitaire de Québec both in numbers and fatalities. Research efforts have led to some good P 13, 2015, the verdict fell: the cancer was back. What saved us was the (CHUQ) news: we have reached very high recovery rates. […] For leukemia Centre hospitalier universitaire de C staff of Leucan entering our room to explain, to comfort, and to simply tell us alone, the recovery rate is 90%. Brain tumours are less well known and this Sherbrooke (CHUS) that the team was there for us. It was like a salve on our hearts because in that fi eld of research is underfunded. Consequently, the mortality rate and severity Montreal Children’s Hospital of the McGill $745,000 moment, we were devastated. Our adviser came in with the famous red bag University Health Centre (MUHC) of sequelae remain high. Our family can spread a little bit of hope for others invested and t-shirts to make treatments easier. […] We no longer felt alone. We are well Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario because so far, so good. […] In our case, the treatment is making the brain in clinical research supported and can count on our family, but to have people like the team of (CHEO) in Ottawa tumour disappear! So it should be understood that the therapy is effective. in 2015-16. Leucan in our corner is exactly what we need—both the affected child We are still in the midst of the process because we’re taking part in a study and the parents. and are among the fi rst group of patients testing out this treatment. We don’t know what will happen once the medication stops. Research is thus extremely Annie, mom and member of Leucan important for us so that an effective cure can be found. For the time being, 236 we cannot think about recovery because a cure does not yet exist. new families received a pediatric cancer diagnosis Caroline, mom and member of Leucan in 2015-2016. Services ANNUAL REPORT 8 2015-2016 9 Miabe� e Jeanne 6 years old, 5 years old, Ewing Sarcoma Acute lymphoblastic 12-month treatment leukemia 26-month treatment Photo: Thibault Carron Thibault Photo: inancial Assistance A Welcomed chool Awareness Helping Helping Hand Program Children Grow To ease the fi nancial burden Via our School Awareness and cover part of the unforeseen Program, we support and help expenses often incurred by a cancer-stricken children in The fi nancial assistance we received was really helpful pediatric cancer, Leucan provides The presentation really helped children to understand their schooling. This service also a general grant to families so that what affected children experience daily, but also what aims at guiding teachers, school because travelling back and forth between Val-d’Or they can put their focus on what management and classmates and Montreal for treatments every three months; that was matters the most: their child. to do and not to do to support them.” through the realities of pediatric not an expense we planned for in our family budget!” cancer.