More than $525,000 raised for cancer patient care
Paddlers at the 17th annual FL Fuller Landau Cedars CanSupport Dragon Boat Race raised funds to improve the quality of life of MUHC cancer patients and their families.
MONTRÉAL, September 13, 2022 – The 17th edition of the FL Fuller Landau Cedars CanSupport Dragon Boat Race, which was held on Saturday, September 10, in Lachine, raised over $525,000 and counting for Cedars CanSupport: an organization that provides programs and services that improve the quality of life of cancer patients at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).
“We are incredibly grateful to the hundreds of Montrealers who came out to paddle for Cedars CanSupport this past weekend, as well as to our generous sponsors and donors,” says Jeff J. Shamie, President and CEO of Cedars Cancer Foundation, which funds cancer research and care at the MUHC. “This event is the main fundraiser for our Cedars CanSupport supportive care programs, which provides free, bilingual, support and services to people who are undergoing cancer treatments at the MUHC, as well as to their family members.”
Founded in 2006, the Cedars Dragon Boat Race had humble beginnings, with just six boats and a few dozen participants. Thanks to the ongoing support of FL Fuller Landau, which has been the event’s title sponsor since 2007, it has grown considerably. This year, it brought out more than 525 paddlers on 25 boats.
“FL Fuller Landau is extremely dedicated,” says Dr. Virginia Lee, Director of Cedars CanSupport. “FL’s employees, families and friends have raised over $7.5 million for Cedars CanSupport throughout the years, and we couldn’t do this without them.”
“FL Fuller Landau is so proud to help bring together so many people to support the same cause – we always look forward to this memorable, non-stop fun and activity day,” says Jaimie Auger, Partner at FL Fuller Landau and Event Co-Chair.
Ryan Ross, a Montreal teen who has been undergoing treatment for cancer at the MUHC for the past year, decided to put together a team of paddlers for this year’s event. “Getting a cancer diagnosis turns your life upside down. It’s confusing and terrifying,” says Ryan. “I have an incredible network of family and friends by my side to help me get through this. But not everyone is that lucky. That’s why I’m raising money for Cedars CanSupport. They offer all kinds of emotional support, information, and activities that make the journey less scary. They’re amazing.”
“Cedars CanSupport provides cancer patients of all ages with the support they need, every step of the way: from wig fittings and taxi vouchers to music and massage therapy,” says cancer survivor Gwen Nacos, who founded Cedars CanSupport in 1998. “Until our services are offered to every new patient of the MUHC, creating a true model of supportive cancer care, our work is not finished!”
