2014 marks the 10th Anniversary of Rebecca’s Hope and the launch
of our “FINAL” fundraising event!
It is hard to believe that it has been10 years since the inception of Rebecca’s Hope for Leukemia
Research at The Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. Oh what a journey it has been! With
that, it is a fitting time to celebrate the accomplishments of Rebecca’s Hope but more
importantly to express our heartfelt gratitude to family and friends, event organizers,
volunteers, colleagues, corporate sponsors, cash donors, event auction donors, and the children
who requested donations to Rebecca’s Hope in lieu of birthday and graduation gifts. Thank you
all for raising awareness and allowing Rebecca’s story to inspire a spirit of hope and giving and
make a difference in the lives of leukemia patients and their families on our journey of hope. You
have embraced Rebecca’s compassionate heart and her generous and loving spirit.
Together Rebecca’s Hope supporters have helped…
Raise over $1.3 million dollars
Fund 5 Medical Fellows
Fund Clinical Trial Nurses
Fund support programs for the needs of young adult cancer patients (ages 18-35)
Fund other aspects and research related to improved treatments of leukemia
Fund breakthrough research in the discovery and detection of the pre-leukemic stem cell
potentially stopping the disease at a very early stage when it may be more amenable to
treatment.
Provide the major funding for Rebecca’s Hope Lounge, a “just like home” lounge designed
for the exclusive enjoyment of leukemia patients, friends and their families at PMH.
Mary Joan Borg, Rebecca’s loving Aunt wrote:
The first word that comes to my mind to describe Rebecca is B-I-G!
Rebecca had BIG, blonde, beautiful curls
She had BIG, bright, beautiful blue eyes
She had a BIG, gorgeous smile that lit up her face
She had a BIG, infectious laugh...and she laughed often
She had a BIG personality
She had a BIG, caring and considerate heart
She had a BIG capacity to love, and did
She had big ambitions, drive and motivation
She dreamed BIG dreams
She leaves us all with a BIG impression, impact and sadness!
- Aunt Joanie xxoo
In honour of Rebecca’s BIG legacy we are asking for one final donation to make an even BIGGER
difference in the fight against leukemia. Our goal is to raise funds for a Nanostsring Detector
that allows for the rapid measurement of levels of multiple RNA species from leukemia cells. The
pattern of expression of different RNAs has the ability to indicate the chance of a patient
responding to treatment, and the chance that the treatment will give a long term remission. This
valuable information will help doctors determine an individualized treatment plan for their
patient. Personal Care Medicine in action! What a difference 10 years has made!
Gratefully,
Theo and Paul Borg