Calvillo Champions the Cedars Cancer Institute at the MUHC

Alouettes quarterback and Grey Cup champion Anthony Calvillo announced today that he is donating the $10,000 award he received as the 2009 Gibson’s Finest Most Outstanding CFL Player to The Cedars Cancer Institute at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). The funds will go to help renovate the Family Room on the oncology floor of the Montreal General Hospital.

Calvillo chose Cedars in honour of his wife, Alexia, who was recently treated at the MUHC for B-cell lymphoma and is now in remission. Last year, the Calvillos spearheaded renovations at the Royal Victoria Hospital’s 7th floor Family Room; now called the Alexia and Anthony Calvillo Cedars Family Room.

“My wife battled cancer at the Royal Victoria Hospital and we used the Family Room a lot when people would visit us. It was the only place you could go and not think about the treatments,” says Calvillo. “When my wife was in remission and healthy we decided to do something special. The Family Room needed to be updated so we decided to take it on as a project. Now we want to make sure patients and their families at the Montreal General Hospital have a comfortable and welcoming space too.”

“Earlier this year, I had the chance to interview Anthony and Alexia Calvillo for our Montréal enSanté magazine and within minutes I felt like I was having Sunday dinner with them,” stated the Hon. Arthur T. Porter. “Their warmth, generosity and family values shine through everything. On and off the field, the Calvillos are champions in the MUHC’s book and members of our extended family. This Family Room at the Montreal General Hospital will touch as many lives as the one at the Royal Victoria Hospital.”

“Once again Anthony and Alexia have chosen to support Cedars and we couldn’t be more grateful. All Montrealers can be proud of the generosity and care that the Calvillos have shown towards cancer patients and their families at the MUHC,” stated Stephen Hajaly, Chairman of the Board of Cedars Cancer Institute.

“There are so many charities out there and to be able to be part of one that touched our family’s hearts is really overwhelming,” says Calvillo. “We hope that other families join us so that together we can complete this project for the benefit of cancer patients and their loved ones.”

About Cedars Cancer Institute

The Cedars Cancer Institute is a hospital-based charity that supports comprehensive cancer care and funding to patients and healthcare professionals at the seven hospitals of the McGill University Health Centre. Since its inception in 1966, Cedars Cancer Institute has raised more than $30 million in much-needed funds to purchase state-of-the-art diagnostic oncology equipment, improve facilities for treatment and care of cancer patients and through its CanSupport program offers cancer patients emotional, practical and humanitarian assistance. Cedars proudly supports cancer research, provides fellowships for visiting professors and improves public awareness of cancer related issues through lectures and education. www.cedars.ca

About the McGill University Health Centre

The McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) is a comprehensive academic health institution with an international reputation for excellence in clinical programs, research and teaching. Its partner hospitals are the Montreal Children's Hospital, the Montreal General Hospital, the Royal Victoria Hospital, the Montreal Neurological Hospital, the Montreal Chest Institute and the Lachine Hospital. Our goal is to provide patient care based on the most advanced knowledge in the health care field, and to contribute to the development of new knowledge. www.muhc.ca

See facebook.com/CUSM.MUHC for images of the Alexia and Anthony Calvillo Cedars Family Room.

Contact:

Danielle Taylor
McGill University Health Centre
Public Affairs and Strategic Planning
Tel.: 514.843.1560
danielle [dot] taylor [at] muhc [dot] mcgill [dot] ca