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Author: johnjovero

Maxine Forrester

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Community Letter

Maxine Forrester

Dear Maxine,

Some people come to the Royal Alexandra Hospital through their work. Many others through the birth of a child, the illness of a loved one, or their own frightening health challenges. It seems you have experienced all of these and more.

When I learned more about your connection to the Royal Alex, I was struck by how many chapters of your life have been touched by this hospital. Your mother graduated from the School of Nursing at “the Alec” in the 1940s, both of your children were born here and, in 2019, when you faced a lung cancer diagnosis that would change your life, it was here that you received the care that helped carry you through.

You wrote so warmly about Dr. Ken Stewart, Dr. Laing, and the many healthcare professionals who supported you throughout your treatment and recovery. Reading your words, one thing becomes immediately clear: your gratitude has never faded. You describe yourself as living and breathing because of their skill, dedication, and compassion.

It is so wonderful to hear that nearly seven years later, you are cancer-free.

As someone whose own family has deep ties to the Royal Alex, I can’t help but feel connected to you. My mother and I were both born here, my wife and I welcomed both of our daughters into the world at the Lois Hole Hospital for Women, and lung cancer also touched my family, taking my grandfather from us when I was a teenager. While you and I may never have met, I am genuinely glad that your story has had a different ending.

“I took her pin to the hospital with me when I had my lung surgery. It was a frightening time and it gave me comfort knowing that a piece of her was with me.”

~ Maxine Forrester

Hospitals become part of our family’s stories—our milestones, our heartbreaks, and celebrations. They also inspire people to give back. I know I didn’t become a monthly donor until after my first daughter was born and we felt that level of care firsthand. I suspect your gift came from a similar place: a desire to honour the care you received and help make that same excellence in treatment and compassion possible for future patients and families.

Maxine, thank you for sharing your story and for choosing to support the hospital that has meant so much to you and your family. We see you, we appreciate you, and we wish you continued health and happiness in the years ahead.

With Gratitude,

Kirby Zdrill

Director of Communications (and self-confessed over-sharer) 

Dr. Briana Botsford

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Community Letter

Dr. Briana Botsford

Dear Briana,

Some donors announce themselves. Others simply show up, year after year, in whatever way is needed. As a naturopathic doctor, clinic owner and certified menopause clinician, you know what it means for women to have access to care that sees them fully. That belief hasn’t stayed inside your practice. You have quietly and consistently shown up as a monthly donor, at the Lois Hole Hospital for Women for years.

Since joining the Lois Hole Hospital Women’s Society in 2020, you haven’t been just a supporter, but an active contributor to what makes it thrive. Through Between Us, our recurring webinar series focused on important women’s health topics, you bring your own expertise into the room as our longstanding facilitator—leading Q&A’s that give attendees the chance to not only learn from featured speakers but your expertise as well. This year, you brought Flow Functional Health Care in as a sponsor, extending your commitment to women’s health from personal to professional.

Longtime Women's Society member and monthly donor since 2020

The M Factor film screening is just another way that your commitment extends beyond the Women’s Society’s programming. Organizing a film screening on menopause and directing the proceeds to the Lois Hole Hospital for Women is exemplary of what it means to be a champion of women’s health. That’s a different kind of giving.

It’s the kind that builds community rather than just contributing to one.

The Lois Hole Hospital Women’s Society is better for having you in its corner. As a naturopathic doctor, a donor, and someone who keeps finding new ways to show up — thank you, Briana.

With Gratitude,

Vicky Jomaa

Development Officer, Strategic Partnerships & Programs
(and liaison for the Lois Hole Hospital Women’s Society)

Dr. Mairi Chadwick

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Community Letter

Dr. Mairi Chadwick

Dear Mairi,

You had never met Dr. Tyler Lamb when you heard what he did. But when a patient told you what happened on New Year’s Eve, you knew it was a story worth sharing – and you made sure it didn’t stay quiet. As an anesthesiologist, your day-to-day involves crossing paths with nearly every department in this hospital. Stories find you, not because you’re looking for them, but because you’re present in the moments when they come to you.  

Coming across a patient at the Lois Hole doing a procedure, who felt called to share her story, unprompted, is its own kind of community. You had no obligation to carry that story anywhere, but you did.

The call came on New Year’s Eve. Dr. Lamb had reviewed a patient’s results and something concerned him enough to pick up the phone, after hours, on a holiday, when no one would have faulted him for waiting. She asked if it could wait. He told her it couldn’t. Three hours after she arrived at hospital, she coded, just past midnight.

Without that call, she almost certainly would not have made it through the night.

It’s stories like this that show just how special the Royal Alexandra Hospital is. You didn’t give because you were asked. You gave because you saw something and wanted it recognized. But you’re not just the person who shared the story with others – you’re the kind of physician that this story is also about. Being present, attentive and connected to patients across departments makes all the difference. Thank you for what you do, as both a physician and a donor.

With Gratitude,

Ijoema Webonga

Donor Relations Associate

(and manager of the Amazing at the Alex recognition program)

Bonnie Van Dalfsen

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Community Letter

Bonnie Van Dalfsen

Dear Bonnie,

Over the many years I’ve had the privilege of working at the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation, I’ve met countless generous people. Very few, however, have shown the kind of steadfast commitment that you have.

For 32 consecutive years, you have supported the Royal Alexandra Hospital through your monthly giving. What strikes me most is that for nearly all of that time, you chose to leave your gifts undesignated, trusting us to direct them where they were needed most. That kind of confidence is never taken for granted, as it reflects a deep belief in the work being done here and an extraordinary level of trust in the people carrying it out.

I also smile when I think about how your giving journey began. A phone call. Four young children at home. A request for a monthly gift that seemed impossible at the time. Yet somehow, a conversation about six dollars a month became a commitment that has spanned more than three decades and helped countless patients and families along the way.

It’s a wonderful reminder that lasting impact often begins with a simple act of saying yes.

One thing I admire most is that your generosity comes from a place of gratitude. During our conversations, you often return to how fortunate you feel. Whether you are spending time with Wally, volunteering alongside him at the Cross Cancer Institute, enjoying weekends at the cabin, travelling to new places, or celebrating the accomplishments of your children and grandchildren, you approach life with positivity and appreciation.

That spirit is also reflected in your decision to include our foundation in your estate plans. Learning of your bequest was deeply meaningful to all of us. Few families have such deep and enduring ties to the Royal Alex as yours, from the many physicians in your family who have dedicated their careers to caring for patients here, to the seven grandchildren welcomed into the world within these walls, and the exceptional care your loved ones received during both joyful and difficult moments.

Clearly, the hospital has been woven through your family’s story for generations.

On behalf of everyone at the Royal Alexandra Hospital Foundation, thank you. Thank you for your remarkable loyalty, your trust, and your belief in our mission. Most of all, thank you for showing up, month after month and year after year, in support of a hospital that has touched so many lives.

With Gratitude,

Andrew Otway

Director of Planned Giving (and former CEO)