On October 10, 2019, over 200 guests attended the Enchantée a collaboration between the Cedars Cancer Foundation and the MUHC Foundation, co-chaired by Monique Gravel and Hal Hannaford at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Montreal.
“The Wellness Program provides access to lymphedema care, and with your generous help will expand to offer nutritional and other wellness services,” notes Co-chair Monique Gravel.
The event was a lively affair with entertainment provided by popular Montreal street performers Carry Me Home, Hampton Street Coffee Grinders, and roots musician Dale Boyle, as well as a live and silent auction.
The proceeds of Enchantée 2019 total more than $260,000. All of the funds will support the MUHC Breast Clinic’s Wellness Program.
“As a physician, I understand the incredibly valuable role that philanthropy plays in health care,” notes MUHC Breast Clinic Director, Dr. Sarkis Meterissian. “The community’s generous support has shown us the power and strength of a group of people coming together with a shared goal.”
The 2019 edition of Enchantée also paid a special tribute to Dr. Antoine Loutfi, a longtime surgeon and oncologist at the MUHC. Dr. Loutfi’s career has focused on the treatment of breast cancer. He has worked on clinical trials and surgical techniques that have defined the way breast cancer is treated today. He was the first surgeon at the MUHC to implant a “port-a-cath,” a medical device that allows physicians direct access to a patient’s vein. The practice has since become an integral part of cancer care.
Dr. Loutfi was Program Director of the Surgical Oncology Fellowship, the first director of the Direction de la lutte contre le cancer at the Ministère de la Santé et des Services Sociaux, and a member of the Royal College specialty committee in surgical oncology. He also spent three years in Ethiopia where he developed a surgical training program.
Dr. Loutfi has made a difference in the lives of many. Not only his own patients, but any patient who has received care thanks to his teaching and his surgical innovations.
“It is inspiring for all of us to honour Dr. Loutfi at Enchantée this year, and to continue to support the valuable work of the MUHC Breast Clinic’s Wellness Program,” says MUHC Foundation Chair Norman Steinberg, who presented Dr. Loutfi with a commemorative plaque in recognition of his years of service.
Enchantée’s title sponsor this year was Claret Asset Management; its gold sponsor, Montclair Residential Inc., its silver sponsor, Fiera Capital and its bronze sponsors Croesus, Metro, Norton Rose Fullbright, and Services bancaires commerciaux TD. The event was held in collaboration with the Cedars Cancer Foundation.