A kidney transplant patient from Windsor-Essex has shown his gratitude with a big gift for a London hospital.
The London Health Sciences Foundation has accepted a $1-million donation from Keith Lavergne of LaSalle, and his wife Leanne, to be put toward the urology department at the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). Keith Lavergne was treated at the hospital for kidney disease and received a transplant.
"Hope is a powerful motivator, and it gives you the ability to fight on," said Lavergne in a media release. "Over the next ten years, you are going to see some remarkable strides being made from the research being done through the Lavergne Chair. We just hope our gift can help save more people that are living with kidney disease now and in the future."
The donation will establish the Keith and Leanne Lavergne and Family Chair in Urology, supporting research and development for urology patients. LHSC Chief of Urology Dr. Alp Sener, who treated Lavergne, is grateful for the opportunities the donation opens up.
"The Lavergne Chair will enable us to carry out cutting edge research, including moonshot projects in areas including fundamental sciences, clinical trials, quality improvement and in surgical education," said Sener. "Ultimately, these research projects have the potential to make a great impact on patient care in the future, but without funding, they are not possible."
The Chair will also create grant funding for disciplines that include transplant medicine, oncology, men’s health, functional urology, endourology and minimally invasive surgery.
Complete information about the Foundation can be found on its official website.