- 注册
- 2002-10-07
- 消息
- 402,213
- 荣誉分数
- 76
- 声望点数
- 0
Out of tragedy, comes hope.
That’s the intention of the Suruchi Bhargava Chair in Spinal Cord Research, announced by the Ottawa Hospital on Thursday evening.
The position was created after a $500,000 donation from Subhas and Uttra Bhargava, whose daughter, Suruchi, was paralyzed from the neck down when a car in which she was a passenger was in an accident on May 19, 1989.
The 23-year-old newlywed remained in a wheelchair until her death on April 20, 2005.
“It’s very hard for a young person to accept it. It’s just devastating,” said Subhas Bhargava. “Even if you want to scratch something, you can’t. You depend on your nurse, or caregiver … Simple things get complicated, so it’s a really tough life.”
But, he said, the family did “not spare any opportunity” to learn more about spinal injuries and research.
Attending international conferences and speaking with doctors, scientists and researchers led the Bhargava family to see a glimmer of hope. Before she died, Suruchi had been able to take a single step, offering encouragement that the family wants to pass along to others experiencing similar tragedy.
“We did have some success,” said Subhas. “And believe me, she improved.”
The donation was made to the Ottawa Hospital, not because of its proximity to the family, but because it is a “hidden gem,” according to Subhas.
“They have stem cell labs, a youth division,” he said, “so the base is already there. There’s a huge number of scientists, clinicians, so that’s very comforting and a lot of pioneering work is done.”
Dr. Eve Tsai, a neurosurgeon specializing in restorative spinal cord research with the Ottawa Hospital since 2006, was named the Chair. Her goal is to find a way to one day reverse damage done to the spinal cord.
“Right now,with the current state, I can help trying to stabilize injury,” she said. “But I can’t reverse the damage that’s done. And if there’s anything I can do to help advance that care and try to improve that, I’m all for it.”
Tsai, who added that spinal cord injuries can also come from diseases including multiple sclerosis, cancer and strokes, said that the area has been under-researched due to the high costs of keeping injured individuals supported.
This will be the second major donation to the Ottawa Hospital by the Bhargavas, long-time operators of two Ottawa daycare centres. In 2012, the family donated $1 million in the hopes of finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease, which afflicted Subhas’s father.
With the latest contribution, the Bhargavas seek to ensure that no one has to go through what their family did.
“We believe that what we suffered and our daughter suffered… others should not be suffering if we can help in any way,” said Uttra.
psmith@ottawacitizen.com
Ottawa Hospital chief executive Dr. Jack Kitts, Uttra Bhargava, neurosurgeon Dr. Eve Tsai, Subhas Bhargava and Dr. Duncan Stewart, the hospital’s vice-president of research, gather after the Bhargava family’s latest contribution.
查看原文...
That’s the intention of the Suruchi Bhargava Chair in Spinal Cord Research, announced by the Ottawa Hospital on Thursday evening.
The position was created after a $500,000 donation from Subhas and Uttra Bhargava, whose daughter, Suruchi, was paralyzed from the neck down when a car in which she was a passenger was in an accident on May 19, 1989.
The 23-year-old newlywed remained in a wheelchair until her death on April 20, 2005.
“It’s very hard for a young person to accept it. It’s just devastating,” said Subhas Bhargava. “Even if you want to scratch something, you can’t. You depend on your nurse, or caregiver … Simple things get complicated, so it’s a really tough life.”
But, he said, the family did “not spare any opportunity” to learn more about spinal injuries and research.
Attending international conferences and speaking with doctors, scientists and researchers led the Bhargava family to see a glimmer of hope. Before she died, Suruchi had been able to take a single step, offering encouragement that the family wants to pass along to others experiencing similar tragedy.
“We did have some success,” said Subhas. “And believe me, she improved.”
The donation was made to the Ottawa Hospital, not because of its proximity to the family, but because it is a “hidden gem,” according to Subhas.
“They have stem cell labs, a youth division,” he said, “so the base is already there. There’s a huge number of scientists, clinicians, so that’s very comforting and a lot of pioneering work is done.”
Dr. Eve Tsai, a neurosurgeon specializing in restorative spinal cord research with the Ottawa Hospital since 2006, was named the Chair. Her goal is to find a way to one day reverse damage done to the spinal cord.
“Right now,with the current state, I can help trying to stabilize injury,” she said. “But I can’t reverse the damage that’s done. And if there’s anything I can do to help advance that care and try to improve that, I’m all for it.”
Tsai, who added that spinal cord injuries can also come from diseases including multiple sclerosis, cancer and strokes, said that the area has been under-researched due to the high costs of keeping injured individuals supported.
This will be the second major donation to the Ottawa Hospital by the Bhargavas, long-time operators of two Ottawa daycare centres. In 2012, the family donated $1 million in the hopes of finding a cure for Parkinson’s disease, which afflicted Subhas’s father.
With the latest contribution, the Bhargavas seek to ensure that no one has to go through what their family did.
“We believe that what we suffered and our daughter suffered… others should not be suffering if we can help in any way,” said Uttra.
psmith@ottawacitizen.com
Ottawa Hospital chief executive Dr. Jack Kitts, Uttra Bhargava, neurosurgeon Dr. Eve Tsai, Subhas Bhargava and Dr. Duncan Stewart, the hospital’s vice-president of research, gather after the Bhargava family’s latest contribution.
查看原文...
