Ten years I was diagnosed with acute leukaemia, and I survived only due to a stem cell transplant I received at Hopital Maisonneuve-Rosemont. In 2010, to celebrate 5 years of survival and raise money for research into blood cancers, I cycled from the Atlantic cost of France to the village in Hungary where my grand-parents were born. In 2012, I published Portraits of Hope (www.portraitsofhope.ca) to give hope to cancer patients.
This year, to mark the 10th anniversary, and in gratitude for everything medical research and HMR have done for me, we established the Maryse and William Brock Chair in Applied Research into Stem Cell Transplantation. This research chair will bridge the fundamental research being carried out by the scientists at HMR and the Université de Montréal with the clinical care provided by the world class stem cell transplant program at HMR, thereby bringing new therapies and treatments to patients, improving patient care and saving lives.
At the end of May, I am leaving for one month to cycle down the Atlantic coast of France, across Spain and then across Portugal back to the ocean, in order to raise money for the research activities of the Chair. You can learn more about the Chair and make a donation at www.chairecellulessouches.com orwww.stemcellchair.com, or by sending me a cheque payable to Stemcellchair–Université de Montréal. Your donation is tax deductible.
You will also be able to follow my ride on this blog.
I greatly appreciate your support and generosity.
Sincerely, Bill.
