Who: Michel and Laurie Brazeau
The donation: $100K
The recipient: The Ottawa Hospital Foundation
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The inspiration: “If we wait for government to give us what we need, we will wait a long time. Everyone needs to understand this is our hospital. The Ottawa Hospital is for everyone and we all need to give. This hospital is our legacy,” says Michel Brazeau, partner at Deloitte.
At 19 years old, Michel Brazeau spent four months at The Ottawa Hospital where the health-care team worked to save his leg. He is forever grateful for the care he received.
“You build a relationship with the doctors and the nurses as a resident of the hospital. The doctors never stopped listening and the nurses went above and beyond,” recalls Brazeau.
Fast forward to another health challenge a year after Michel married his wife, Laurie. The newlyweds were told Laurie had cancer. She underwent successful treatment at The Ottawa Hospital and so the couple credited both their recoveries to the exceptional care of the health-care team.
Now, Brazeau is facing another health challenge with bravery, humour and the support of family.
“I have cancer now,” he says. “They have a level of empathy at The Ottawa Hospital. This is all about my quality of life. Nobody going through cancer likes it, but we have left no stone unturned,” says Brazeau.
After 20 years at Deloitte, Brazeau has built his career on strong relationships and has been sharing his cancer diagnosis with friends and colleagues. He and his wife have also donated $100,000 to The Ottawa Hospital Foundation to support the construction of the new campus on Carling Avenue.
Brazeau and his wife are passionate about their generous donation to The Ottawa Hospital and believe strongly on passing on the philanthropy gene to their children.
“We have a great deal of pride about this donation. We have three children and it is amazing to think they can say that their mom and dad made this donation,” says Laurie. “If you are a contributor to your community and city, when you are no longer here you want to be proud of what you have left behind.”
The capital campaign to build the new hospital also includes funds for research and aims to raise $500 million.
“Michel and Laurie’s wonderful gift to our Campaign to Create Tomorrow highlights their commitment to a stronger health-care ecosystem through world-class facilities and research. But it is so much more than that. Their generosity, especially while facing tremendous personal challenges, is an inspiration to our community and will be paid forward for generations to come,” says Tim Kluke, president and CEO of the foundation.
“Remember, when they wheel you into the hospital, it is too late to give,” says Brazeau. “The quality of the institution defines the quality of the talent. The one thing I know about donating to The Ottawa Hospital, you will eventually be the beneficiary of the gift.”
