Niagara Health Foundation donor Bob Czerlau clearly remembers what first inspired him to give back to his local hospital. It was while he was sitting with his brother, who had just suffered a stroke.

“I have visited the hospital many a time, but it was in that moment, sitting with him while he was sleeping, that I remember looking around and just being in awe of all of the equipment that was needed for his care,” he says. “And that was just one patient and one room.”

It gave Bob a deep appreciation for our healthcare system – a system he himself would have to rely on several years later. “Last October, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and needed five rounds of radiation.”

The care he received from the team at the Walker Family Cancer Centre was outstanding, Bob says.

“Everyone was just so nice to my wife and me,” he remembers. “I was scared, and it was a hard time for us, so having friendly and supportive doctors and staff members was really important.”

While Bob was undergoing radiation, he again found himself amazed by the amount of equipment involved in his care. “When I was lying there, I couldn’t believe it. I said to the technician: What do you think this equipment costs? She responded that the equipment in each radiation bunker probably costs a million dollars. That is mind-boggling.”

Bob remembers going home that day and telling his wife that he was going to make another donation. “Medicine has come such a long way. There are health issues that would have been a death sentence only a few years ago that can now be treated. Thanks to the Walker Family Cancer Centre, I am doing well today, and my numbers are looking good. We donate because we know that we need the equipment and the research, and because we appreciate the care we received at Niagara Health.”