FIRST ANNUAL RIDE THE RIDEAU RAISES $925,000 IN SUPPPORT OF CANCER RESEARCH AT THE OTTAWA HOSPITAL

By The Ottawa Hospital Foundation - More than 325 riders, ranging from Starbucks Baristas to company CEOs, rallied together to travel 100 km from Ottawa to Merrickville-Wolford in an effort to improve cancer care in our region. Together they helped raise more than $925,000 in support of innovative cancer research at The Ottawa Hospital through the first annual Ride the Rideau event fuelled by MDS Nordion.

The funds will help build the new Centre for Innovative Cancer Research at The Ottawa Hospital General Campus. Construction of the Centre will accelerate research into "biological" treatments that harness viruses, cells and genes to eradicate cancer.

"The Centre for Innovative Cancer Research will enable us to bring therapies developed on the lab bench to the patient's bedside in a much shorter timeframe," says Dr. Duncan Stewart, CEO and Scientific Director of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute and participant in Ride the Rideau. "In some cases, the wait time between research and clinical trials will be cut in half."

Accelerating the discovery of new therapies will bring hope and more positive outcomes for the 6,000 patients diagnosed with cancer in our community this year. With cancer being one of the leading causes of death for Canadians, its hard to find someone who has not been touched by this devastating disease.

Ride the Rideau co-champions Robert Merkley of Merkley Supply Ltd. and Claude Des Rosiers of Boone Plumbing have seen their fair share of loved ones and colleagues battle cancer throughout the years. Recognizing the importance of cancer research is what inspired these two leaders in the construction industry to help build this event from the ground up.

"From beginning to end this was an unforgettable experience," says Merkley. "Claude and I are both blown away by the incredible success this event has had in its first year. It proves just how outstanding the Ottawa and Merrickville-Wolford communities are and how dedicated we all are to building a better hospital."

With this year's success, organizers are already planning ahead to next year's event which is scheduled to take place on September 10, 2011. They expect more than 500 riders to register and pedal their way to help find a cure for cancer.

The Ottawa Hospital is a multi-campus, academic health sciences centre, serving 1.2 million residents of Ottawa and Eastern Ontario, both in English and French. It provides care for more patients than any other hospital in Canada, and boasts specialty centres in cancer, heart, kidney and vision care, as well as rehabilitation services. For more information, visit The Ottawa Hospital web site at www.ottawahospital.ca.

The Ottawa Hospital Foundation's mission is to inspire and enable people to support the highest quality health care at The Ottawa Hospital and lifesaving research at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. For more information, visit The Ottawa Hospital Foundation web site at www.ohfoundation.ca.