Patients travelling far from home for cancer treatment can feel isolated, but The Ottawa Hospital and Ottawa Senators are working together to help lift patients’ spirits and give them an experience they will never forget.

They’re embarking on a mission to Haiti armed with donated medical supplies and equipment, skills to share, and the knowledge that they’ll face conditions they’ve never seen before, far outside their comfort zones.

Their compassion and caring shone through – not just for Allan Cook but for all his family and friends as well. And after he passed away, they attended his wake and celebration of life, continuing to care for his family. All that and more is why the nurses on B2 won the Team.

For 30 years, Dr. Les Melamed read research proposals and asked himself, “If I were a patient, would I want to be part of this study?” As a volunteer community representative on the Ottawa Health Science Network Research Ethics Board, Dr. Melamed helped weigh the benefits and risks of research proposals involving patients or their data.

Teresa Buffone knows too well how helpless it feels to have a loved one diagnosed with a neuromuscular disease. Her husband, Frank, died of myotonic dystrophy. Eight people in her family also have the genetic condition. Until now, patients have had to go elsewhere to take part in clinical trials.

When Dr. Clare Liddy shared with Dr. Erin Keely that one of her patients had to wait for more than nine months for an appointment with a specialist, they agreed this was too long. Together, they developed eConsult – and the electronic wait-time solution is spreading across Canada and around the world.