Top tips for protecting your skin from the sun

This week on Health Matters, Tarah Schwartz and Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta discuss a new study that can put type two diabetes into remission. Wendy Sherry describes what it is like working with the team in Organ and Tissue donation. Dr. Ivan Litvinov details how to protect your skin from the sun as temperatures increase. And, Lisa Giannone, one of the co-chairs of this year’s Le Bal Rouge shares the personal reasons she chose to support excellent respiratory care and research at the MUHC. 

Cette semaine à Questions de santé, Tarah Schwartz et la Dre Kaberi Dasgupta discutent d’une nouvelle étude qui pourrait renverser le diabète de type 2. Wendy Sherry décrit son expérience de travail au sein de l’équipe de dons d’organes et de tissus. Le Dr Ivan Litvinov explique comment protéger votre peau du soleil alors que la température se réchauffe. Et Lisa Giannone, l’une des coprésidentes du Bal Rouge de cette année, partage les raisons personnelles qui l’ont incitée à appuyer l’excellence des soins respiratoires et la recherche au CUSM.

Transcript

Tarah Schwartz: 0:00

Hello there. Thank you for joining us. I'm Tarah Schwartz and this is Health Matters on CJAD 800. On today's show, I know it doesn't feel like it these days, but summer is on the way. And with the warm weather and sunny conditions, everyone is at risk of sun damage. Later in the show, we speak with a dermatologist who will share his top tips for protecting your skin. Also, we preview our signature gala Le Bal Rouge; we share what you can expect from this fabulous event highlighting the dedicated team of the Montreal Chest Institute. But first, a fascinating study where people living with type two diabetes could potentially reverse their condition with diet and exercise. Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta is a physician and researcher, Professor of medicine and McGill University, and Director of the Centre for Outcomes Research and Evaluation at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. Thank you so much for joining us. Dr. Dasgupta.

Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta: 1:00

My pleasure always, Tarah.

Tarah Schwartz: 1:04

Let's begin at the beginning really, what is diabetes? How do you define it so that the average person can understand it, because it can be a bit complicated with type one and type two?

Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta: 1:14

It is complicated. Diabetes is any condition where your blood sugar levels are higher than normal. And when I say blood sugar, it's not the sugar that we put maybe in our tea and coffee. It's glucose. And that is our little packages of energy in our blood. So we all use glucose as our energy. And the body breaks down other foods into glucose to give us that energy. But sometimes the glucose hangs around in the blood. So that's diabetes.

Tarah Schwartz: 1:52

And so what are the effects? And what are the effects? And if you've got too much glucose in your blood, what are the effects what happens?

Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta: 1:59

Too much glucose can be bad in the short term. It can make you pee a lot, it can make you dehydrated, it can make you feel very unwell and it can be very dangerous. That usually doesn't happen in type two; it happens more in type one. But in the longer term in any form of diabetes, that glucose irritates the blood vessels in our body. And when it irritates the blood vessels, the longer we have it and the higher the blood glucose levels are, the more damage that can happen to blood vessels in the heart giving us heart disease. Blood vessels in the brain leading to strokes; blood vessels in the kidneys, leading to kidney damage; blood vessels in the eyes, leading to loss of vision and blindness. So it causes a whole host of problems in virtually every part of the body.

Tarah Schwartz: 2:59

So Dr. Dasgupta, you work mostly with type two diabetes. So tell us about RESET for Remission?

Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta: 3:06

Absolutely. So as you say, I work mostly with type two diabetes, which is the kind of diabetes that develops when we gain more weight that our bodies can handle or when we're less active than our bodies want us to be. And so we develop resistance to the hormone insulin, which normally lets glucose into the cells of our body to power all the reactions in our body. And around 10% of the population will develop type two diabetes. So it's not a rare condition. It's much more of a problem when we develop it younger in life, because then we have more time to develop the complications that we were talking about. So in RESET for Remission, we're really targeting young people with type two diabetes. 18 to 45 years of age who have had type two diabetes for less than six years and are not on insulin therapy. And the idea in RESET is to put them into diabetes remission, so to lower their blood sugar levels below the thresholds that we use to diagnose diabetes. And that it happens without use of medications. And I can tell you a bit about how we're doing it. So it's a randomized control trial, and half of the participants will get for three months a low-energy diet. Now this diet itself has been shown to work for diabetes remission, and it includes meal replacement products, so shakes, bars, some soups, that really make us feel. They're designed to have a little extra protein. And we basically give a shake-only diet for two weeks followed by these products, plus a little bit of regular food. But for 12 weeks, people are eating about 900 calories a day. And that has been shown to lower body weight to the point that in many people, the blood sugars normalize without even the use of medication. But what we're adding to that in RESET is a supervised exercise programs. So in addition to being followed by a physician and a dietitian and getting this low-energy diet, our participants in the experimental arm get exercise training, two-three times a week, with an exercise expert, they do weight training, they do running and walking on a treadmill. And again, the idea is to help their body become more responsive to the hormone insulin. But in addition to losing weight, we want people to hang on to muscle mass, when we otherwise lose a lot of weight, we can lose muscle. And that's not good for us in general, and not good for diabetes either. And we're also going to look at impacts on the heart and the relaxation of the heart, which can become a bit stiffer when we develop type two diabetes. So the intervention arm gets that first. And then there's another period that I can tell you about.

Tarah Schwartz: 6:39

All right, I've a couple of questions first, Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta; we're talking about type two diabetes. Before we continue on, I want to ask you, how many people have type two diabetes in Quebec or Canada? And is it something that were regularly tested for? How would we even know that we had it in order to either try to reduce our food intake or get involved in a program like yours?

Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta: 7:04

Yeah. I said, there is 10% of the population that has diabetes, about 90% of that is type two diabetes. It's a huge number. When we're over 45 years of age, the recommendations are to be tested every year for diabetes. But if we're younger than that, it's really our doctors look for it, depending on what risk factors we have. But we can also check ourselves. So there are some risk calculators. And if you go on to the diabetes Canada website, or the Health Canada website, and type in risk calculator diabetes; it will send you to something called CANRISK, that will ask you just a series of questions about diabetes in your family, how active you are, how much you weigh, how big your babies were if you have any, when they were born. And based on these questions, we'll come up with a likelihood of having diabetes or not. And that can also be a prompt to be tested.

Tarah Schwartz: 8:24

With all of this data that you're gathering, what is the goal of the study, beyond the people that you're testing now? What are you hoping to accomplish with this?

Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta: 8:32

What we're hoping and the people that we're working with, as I said, three months of that low energy diet, and then three more months of a normal diet, basically a normal healthy diet with exercise independently. We're trying to find out at the end of that six month period, compared to people who didn't get that intervention, do they get to remission of type two diabetes and do they sort of keep the weight off and keep the good exercise habits that they did probably in the first three months. So our goal is to see if we can achieve remission with the exercise on board. And if you can improve heart function. The longer term plan is to use this study if successful, and our partnership with the United Kingdom because this is part of a Canada UK project. I'm leading it here in Canada. And I have a colleague, Tom Yates, who is doing it in the UK. If we can move the needle, move the dial on the availability of diabetes prevention and remission programs in Canada because they actually have an excellent structure in the UK, funded by the government. And really, anybody who's at risk of diabetes can get a prevention program there and remission is also now being piloted. So the kind of nutrition support, exercise specialists support, meal replacement products that we're offering through this study. If it works, we want that to be available to people across the province and across the country. So that's our goal.

Tarah Schwartz: 10:13

All right. Well, thank you so much, Dr. Dasgupta. It's been very interesting hearing about your study and we look forward to hearing more. Thank you so much for joining us on the show.

Dr. Kaberi Dasgupta: 10:22

Thank you. And if people could email us at reset at muhc.mcgill.ca If they're interested and fit the criteria I spoke about it would be wonderful.

Tarah Schwartz: 10:33

Reset at muhc.mcgill.ca, if you'd like to take part. Thank you so much. Dr. Dasgupta. Next up on Health Matters, a transplant nurse shares how the selfless gesture of opting to donate your organs could change dozens of lives. I'm Tarah Schwartz. Welcome back to Health Matters on CJAD 800. Throughout the month of April, we've been highlighting National Organ Transplant Awareness Month. Last week we spoke with a father whose son passed away very suddenly, the Handinero family chose to continue Diego's legacy by donating his organs. In the interview, Mike Handinero discussed how helpful my next guest was in the midst of such a devastating and challenging time. Wendy Sherry is a nurse clinician for organ and tissue donation at the MUHC and she has helped countless families like the Handineros. Wendy, thank you so much for being with us today.

Nurse Wendy Sherry: 11:24

Well, thank you for inviting me.

Tarah Schwartz: 11:27

Let's start with you, Wendy, in terms of your inspiration to get into nursing and then following that organ and tissue donation. How did that happen?

Nurse Wendy Sherry: 11:38

I've actually wanted to be a nurse since I was a little girl. I love the idea of helping other people. So and I never gave that dream up. So that's where I was going from high school, I was going straight to cegep to do my dec in nursing. And then as I moved along to directory at one point, I hurt my back and I wasn't able to work bedside. And I was offered the opportunity to join the organ tissue donation team at the MUHC. And after some reflection, I figured I had the skill-set to support it. And so I jumped in and did that.

Tarah Schwartz: 12:10

It's amazing how many people who are nurses, when I asked that question, they almost always give that same answer. Like, I've wanted to do that since I was little. So I always find that so interesting.

Nurse Wendy Sherry: 12:22

People have called nursing a calling before. And I think in some ways, it is just a real need to look after others and to see through their welfare. And I have to say that my parents are very good examples to very do a lot of volunteer work. So that was definitely an inspiration.

Tarah Schwartz: 12:40

Nice. Now when you decided to move forward into the organ and tissue donation aspect of your career, what was that like? Because it's I think it's something that most people can't quite wrap their heads around. We don't talk about it very much. We don't know what someone who would work in that area, what their day to day would be like. Tell us something that that we don't know.

Nurse Wendy Sherry: 13:00

Well, that's very true. I mean, most people know about transplantation. But very few people know about organ and tissue donation. And then really, that's where everything starts. So my day to day really doesn't have a set thing that I do every day. The four things that we look at are all the administrative tasks; you have to do the paperwork, you have to write the protocols and do chart reviews to make sure that every opportunity has been identified, follow up with all the tweeting teams. At the MUHC, we have 11 critical care units, that includes the emergencies, the ICUs, we do adults and pediatrics. So it's quite vast. There's the clinical aspect, someone has to work with the families, which is the most important part and then education.

Tarah Schwartz: 13:48

I would love to talk about the families, I would love to talk about the families when because I think that's so you know that the part that touches us the most and the part we can understand the best. When a family does lose a member, how does that conversation begin? Between you've lost someone we're so sorry, would you consider this? How does that happen?

Nurse Wendy Sherry: 14:10

We use a method called decoupling. So that the team looking after the patient would meet with a family to explain that the devastating injury and if there's been a determination of death using neurological criteria. Then they would explain how the criteria that they use to determine that type of death, which is only 1% of all death is very very rare; like Diego. Then they would give the family time to absorb that news and then at a little bit later approach them saying you know we believe your loved one is eligible for organ and tissue donation. Would you like to have more information? And if they say yes, they are interested. Then that's when I come in.

Tarah Schwartz: 14:53

Now you mentioned Diego and we spoke with his father Mike Handinero last week. We talked about how immeasurable your impact was on them, as he and his family navigated this loss of their 18 year-old son. What is it like to work so closely with these families? Personally, I imagine it must be very hard. How do you approach it? How do you see it? What do you take away from it?

Nurse Wendy Sherry: 15:15

I take a deep breath every time before I meet a family. When a family says they're interested in meeting with me, I don't take that as a consent. I take that as an invitation to meet with them; literally to sit down and talk about this. I always treat the opportunity to meet them as a privilege. This is a very, very difficult time in their lives. And they have agreed to meet with me to talk about organ and tissue donation, which is, for me, like, it's, it's, for some people that can be a blessing. This type of gift; the gift of health for other people. And for some, it's not within their value system. And after a discussion, they'll decline. And that's okay. When it happens and we can move forward with the organ evaluation. Then working with Transplant Quebec to find recipients or working with Hema-Quebec to identify tissues that can be donated; it's wonderful. But when someone does decline, they get the same support and follow up that the people who do move forward with donation do.

Tarah Schwartz: 16:21

I love that idea of taking a breath before going into speak to the family. I think it's something that we can apply to so many areas of our own lives whenever we're facing difficulty or challenging times. I wonder, how long does the family have Wendy, from the time that you offer that invitation to the time that they have to make a decision? How quickly does that have to happen?

Nurse Wendy Sherry: 16:46

It's usually fairly quickly, within hours. Most families that I sit down and talk with actually give me a response within 20-25 minutes. That's the average time. I always give them a period of reflection, I will say, this is what its donation is all about. You need to speak with a family and I leave the room. And sometimes I have will have the resident, the staff, or the nursing or the bedside nurse or the family nurse with me. We'll all leave because this is a family decision. This is not our decision.

Tarah Schwartz: 17:26

It's incredible. We're speaking with Wendy Sherry, Nurse Clinician, at the MUHC for organ and tissue donation. Do you think that we talk about organ and tissue donation enough so that when people are sadly in that situation, it doesn't come as a complete surprise that you're asking?

Nurse Wendy Sherry: 17:45

No, we need so much more education around this question. And, North Americans, and many people around the world. Nobody wants to talk about death. Nobody wants to think of someone they love dying. And so it's not an easy discussion to have. But it's makes things a lot simpler when the discussion has happened. Because then when I meet with a family, and that's a lot of reasons why families decline donation is because they tell me Wendy, we've never had the discussion. I don't know what they would want. And it's not an easy discussion to have. At the MUHC, it's very multicultural here. So I've developed 25 pamphlets in different languages that are available on the patient education website to begin a conversation about organ and tissue donation. And that's super, super important. I've met teens in cegep who tell me this. I can't talk to my parents about this is just too hard. So I signed the card and hopefully, they'll respect my decision if it ever comes to that. And other people's do have the decision. Fortunately, we do have two wonderful registries in the province. Very helpful. The registry has over 4 million people signed. We're now after almost 55 percent of the population who said they want to donate.

Tarah Schwartz: 19:18

That is incredible. So you can just go and sign up yourself so that once you did, if something did happen that that your wishes would be known. Is that how that works?

Nurse Wendy Sherry: 19:27

Yep. So generally speaking, every time you get your Medicare card renewed, you will get a sticker to go on the back of your Medicare card. So you can sign that saying that you that you want to be a donor. You can download the paper for the RAMQ that's affiliated with a Medicare card and then ship that back in. And the last one is with the notary when you do your last will and testament. You can either in that you can choose to consent or decline. So when a referral comes in from the team. Then whether it's for organ or tissue, I will call the appropriate organization Transplant Quebec or Hema-Quebec and they will check the registries and let me know if something is signed.

Tarah Schwartz: 20:15

Okay, well thank you for sharing that information. I think it's important for us all to be aware of that. Wendy Sherry, you sound like you have an incredibly challenging and beautiful and inspiring job. And I thank you so much for coming on to talk to us a little bit about it.

Nurse Wendy Sherry: 20:29

Thank you very much for your time. I really appreciate it.

Tarah Schwartz: 20:33

Thank you. Next up on the show, the top tips you need to protect your skin this summer. I'm Tarah Schwartz. And this is Health Matters. We got a small taste of summer in Montreal last weekend and personally it was glorious. But with the warm weather comes lighter clothes and more exposed skin and of course the potential for sunburns. Dr. Ivan Litvinov is a dermatologist and scientist at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. He is also our voice of reason when it comes to protecting our skin from sun damage. Dr. Litvinov join us once again to share some tips and advice on what you should be doing to protect your skin that summer. Thank you so much for joining us Dr. Litvinov

Dr. Ivan Litvinov: 21:23

It's a pleasure to be here. Thank you.

Tarah Schwartz: 21:26

I'm always excited to talk to you Dr. Litvinov and I'm always like a little nervous to talk to you. Because I'm like, oh my goodness, what is he going to say that is going to impact how I'm going to have to live my summer but you have said clearly on multiple occasions, there is no such thing as a healthy tan. So no tan at all is good. Let's start with that.

Dr. Ivan Litvinov: 21:43

Yeah, absolutely. First of all, I want to make sure that Quebecers understand- I want people to be as active and as outdoorsy as possible. I think that's a wonderful time of the year and we should take full advantage of it. Go out, hike, be on the lake, paddle, whatever you enjoy, do it. You should do it. But just be conscious of your skin. Think of a magazine that you would leave outdoors for weeks and months and you will see the colors fade and the sun damage will set in. Well your skin is not that magazine. If the sun damages your skin, it can be permanent, it can have significant repercussions. So while you're out there enjoying the outdoors, put on a rash guard. Sun protective clothing is the best way to go. Put the rash guard down to your ankles and up to your wrists. You know the rash guard short and those surfing pants and or something and then put on a wide brimmed tilley hat and put on some sunscreen on your face. And that will avoid you from damaging your skin in a way that you can see the sun damaging a magazine cover when it's left outside.

Tarah Schwartz: 22:54

Let's talk about complexion and what kind of impact the skin has whether your fair, olive, darker. Tell us about how all these complexions have to protect their skin do we have to do it differently?

Dr. Ivan Litvinov: 23:07

Of course a skin complexion is sort of evolutionary benefit that people derive by living in different climates. Individuals who are really dark skinned. African Canadian type skin, we call it Fitzpatrick type six skin, they enjoy a natural sun protection equivalent to about SPF 12. Okay, so this is really great. And that will prevent a lot of those people from getting sunburned when they're out there for a short period of time in the sun. Although those individuals if they're in the sun for a long time, let's say they fall asleep in their backyard, they will have a sunburn. That being said, we also recommend sun protection of at least 30 and higher. And to be honest, 50 and higher is even better. So therefore every individual no matter what skin color they have, should use sun protection, sun protective clothing and sunscreen. Of course, individuals who are light color and most of the individuals who are redhead who cannot produce proper melanin. They produce you pheomelanin as opposed to melanin. They should be extra vigilant and wear the sun protective clothing, wear the wide-brimmed Tilley hat, put on the sunscreen. So even though with all of this variety of skin tones, it is still very important that even the darkest skin is not fully protected from the sun.

Tarah Schwartz: 24:22

Okay. All right. Thank you, Dr. Litvinov. We're speaking with Dr. Ivan Litvinov. We're talking about protecting our skin that's why I get nervous talking to you Dr. Litvinov because I am the red head. So I am in like one of the worst buckets. But I mentioned this to you last time we bumped into each other. I want to bring it up on the show today. We talked about putting sunscreen on every day. I'm trying to get into that mode of making sure that when I wash my face in the morning and I put on sunscreen, perhaps sunscreen will be in my face cream. But I'm concerned about putting on daily sunscreen that might have a chemical in it. Am I adding something to my body every day that I don't necessarily want in there?

Dr. Ivan Litvinov: 24:56

I think this is a very valid question. Of course when you put organic sunscreens; those are absorbed in the bloodstream. And we're only now starting to understand the impacts they have on endocrine system and other aspects. There's certainly some degree of risk. When you put in mineral sunscreen on- that sunscreen is not absorbed. In fact, there are several jurisdictions around the world; including Hawaii, Palau, certain Caribbean states where they have prohibited organic sunscreens. In part because of the effects on human life. But also, due to the impact on coral reefs; destroying the coral reefs. We dump over 9000 tons of sunscreen every year into the waterways. So that's actually a significant amount of sunscreen. So if you are concerned and you don't want to have an issue with absorption. Especially for babies, we really recommend mineral sunscreens. So those are the sunscreens that contain titanium dioxide, zinc oxide. They are not absorbed into your body. They will not damage the coral reefs, or their aquatic life in the Lawrence River and whatever. And they're considered to be exceedingly safe. The only thing of course, that you have to put up with is a white residue, that those sunscreens leave on the skin. But personally, I do this every summer and I wear them proudly. Having that vibrance on the skin and when people tell me, oh, you know, you have sunscreen on your face. I say, Thank you, yes, I know. But you also bringing up a very important issue that sunscreen is only half of the game. The best thing is really to invest in that sun protective clothing and just find a rash guard that is suitable for you that is breathable, whether it's like those surfer pants, that you're going to put shorts over and the rash guard top and have those. That would limit the amount of sunscreen that you need to apply to your body.

Tarah Schwartz: 27:00

Fair enough. Dr. Ivan Litvinov is a dermatologist; we're talking about protecting our skin. I know that the rates of skin cancer over the last 5-10 years are shooting upwards. What are the things that we should look out for when it comes to skin cancer?

Dr. Ivan Litvinov: 27:19

I think any lesion that is concerning to you should be brought up to the attention of your family doctor or physician, if you have access to a dermatologist. Asking your friend or your neighbor may not be the best solution. If you're concerned about something, schedule an appointment with your health practitioner, show them the lesion and see if they're concerned. If not, then that's great. If they are concerned, they may refer you to a dermatologist for proper evaluation. Certainly any flesh color lesion that bleeds, any pigmented lesion, new pigmented lesion that is isometric, has funny irregular borders, multiple colors and a diameter more than a pencil eraser. So point five centimeter. And the lesion that is changing. One lesion that we're always concerned about is at least in this growing body parts out of it. Something that looks like an arm or a leg or we're ahead the moment it's starting to change, you want to bring it to the attention of a dermatologist. But that being said, go to your doctor undress, let them look at all your skin once a year during your physical, ask them questions about any new spots that are evolving. And certainly seek that attention sooner if a lesion is starting to bleed, or stains clothing with blood for any unexplained reasons.

Tarah Schwartz: 28:33

That's great. If I start to live and have a lot of people obviously know in Quebec, I don't have access to a family doctor. And because of that would certainly not have access to a dermatologist. Is there something that we can do with maybe a friend or a partner where we take it seriously. And we have, as you mentioned some guidelines that we can look for? That we check each other once a year, just to try to get started on that process without necessarily being able to see our doctor?

Dr. Ivan Litvinov: 28:57

Everybody has access to CLSC. And there are doctors in the CLSC. So if someone is concerned that certainly would be a way to go. But if you are the person who has multiple spots on their body, go ahead and take digital photos region by region of your body put a ruler so that the ruler is clearly visible on the skin in the picture. So that gives you some sort of point of reference of how large something is. And go ahead and take pictures. You only need to do this once in your life. And then what you can do every six months or so pull out those pictures with your partner and look at them together saying Hey, okay, so this is a spot I can see a ruler right next to this point five centimeters and that hasn't changed. But look over here there's a new spot that is developing. Or over here, there's a spot that is changing and the ruler is in the picture so it will tell you at some sort of point of reference of what that change is. And if there's a concern, then go to your family doctor or go to the CLSC and try to have this lesion properly evaluate.

Tarah Schwartz: 29:57

I love that advice. I hope that people take Dr. Litvinov up on that advice, because I think that's a great way to do it yourself so that you can really start to own your own body.

Dr. Ivan Litvinov: 30:06

Also it's bonding with your family, right? Sun protection, prevention of skin cancer, it's really a family affair. It's really the mothers and the fathers that are putting the sunscreen putting some protective clothing to protect themselves, each other, and show examples to their kids. Checking each other skin, doing this picture set once and then just looking at the skin as a habit, every six months, putting on the swim trunks and looking at the body as a family. Saying, Okay, does the dad have any new moles? Does the mom have any new moles in swim attire? And treating it as a family affair and creating what we call a community of concern. People have done that well in Australia. As you know, Australia has a lot of skin cancers, they are leading our efforts in terms of skin cancer prevention, and early detection. And we're hoping that eventually a similar culture of concern can be established here in Canada.

Tarah Schwartz: 31:09

A wonderful note to end on. Dr. Litvinov, I always very much enjoy our conversations. Thank you so much for joining us on Health Matters. We'll talk to you again.

Dr. Ivan Litvinov: 31:17

Thank you. Tyra. Have a wonderful sunny day. Bye bye,

Tarah Schwartz: 31:20

You too. Coming up next on Health Matters, we preview a glamorous event celebrating the Montreal Chest Institute. I'm Tarah Schwartz. You're listening to Health Matters. On May 26, the MUHC Foundation will hold its spectacular fundraising gala Le Bal Rouge. The theme of this year's glamorous event is Roaring into the 20s with an incredible spin on The Great Gatsby. And it is an historic event this year, because for the first time we have four women co-chairing this event to honor Dr. Kevin Schwartzman and the life saving work of the Montreal Chest Institute. Lisa Giannone is one of the co-chairs and she's also President and Chief Operating Officer of BFL Canada. Thank you for being with us, Lisa.

Lisa Giannone: 32:04

Thank you.

Tarah Schwartz: 32:06

Now tell me about what inspired you to co-chair this year's Bal Rouge?

Lisa Giannone: 32:13

The importance of research in the medical field and the importance of the MUHC, and all the great work that the foundation has done to date.

Tarah Schwartz: 32:33

Next, tell me four women. Four incredible women for the first time ever since this event began are co-chairing this important fundraiser. What does it mean to be in a group of four women, incredible women leaders, executives, visionaries, all co-chairing this, this event?

Lisa Giannone: 33:04

Well, exactly that. Four incredible women, I'm including myself but three incredible women that obviously gives me the opportunity to get to know them. And, just meeting them a couple of times now, I'm inspired by all of their hard work. Everything that they've achieved and giving back to such an important cause.

Tarah Schwartz: 33:26

Now, I know that you have a personal story. We're raising money this year for the Montreal chest Institute. And I know that you have a bit of a personal story with regards to the MCI. Tell us a little bit about that.

Lisa Giannone: 33:36

Yes, I do. And it is the main reason why this cause touches my heart dearly. My son at 20 months old, had RSV and we were rushed to the hospital in the crash room. We weren't sure if he was going to make it and it's really the staff and all the hard work of the doctors and the nurses that made it so that today he is a healthy 17 year old boy. It was the worst time of our lives and it was if it wasn't for that support. I'm not sure I know where we'd be today.

Tarah Schwartz: 34:12

Oh my goodness. What a horrifying moment. We're speaking with Lisa Giannone. She's one of the co-chairs of this year's MUHC Foundation's Le Bal Rouge. Now this event raises considerable funds. Why is giving back philanthropy important to you and was it always important?

Lisa Giannone: 34:29

It's always been important to me. And it's very important at BFL Canada, you know, our co-founder, Barry Lorenzetti has his own foundation for mental health. It is part of our culture here at the BFL Canada. And for me, I feel like I've done fairly well and it is a way for me to give back to the community. All charitable causes really do touch my heart but this one in particular is critical because health. You know health is everything as the saying goes.

Tarah Schwartz: 35:02

Now I know that this gala tends to raise a lot of money from big donors. But the small donations... One of the people that I interviewed once said it so well, he said, if doctors or scientists or researchers or patients get five big donations, it means one thing, but if they get 1000 small donations, it means so much more. Because it means that the community is behind them. And I've always remembered that, and I've always loved it. What do you say about sort of the small donations that can have a huge impact?

Lisa Giannone: 35:30

I totally agree with that. I mean, it's so important, every donation is important, no matter the size. And I agree. I mean, if the donations are small, they all add up, and they're all going to a great cause. So absolutely, that has a huge impact. And anybody that can donate, I encourage them no matter it doesn't matter what the amount is, what's important is the actual gesture and obviously, making a contribution.

Tarah Schwartz: 35:59

Now, this year is about who's has a really exciting theme. I'm really excited about this. It's called Roaring into the 20s. We've got a spin on The Great Gatsby. If people want to learn more see the excitement and the style of the event, they can go to Le Bal Rouge dot com. What are you most excited about, Lisa, in terms of the night itself?

Lisa Giannone: 36:19

Well, I've only attended the event once and that was last year. It was a fantastic evening. It is just filled with great people, the energy, and the ability to network and meet other great people that are dedicated to the cause, and there for the same reason. It was great! And the actual Gatsby being our 1920s theme is actually going to be very exciting and bringing the old into modern times, I think, will be a lot of fun.

Tarah Schwartz: 36:54

After three years of COVID, so many of these in-person events where we can get together and celebrate, raise money and be amongst our peers and our colleagues and our friends and family. They didn't happen and now they're coming back. Are you excited for that getting together in-person moments that are that are bringing themselves back into our worlds?

Lisa Giannone: 37:19

Absolutely. I can't say enough about getting together with people. I mean, everything we do is about people and the social aspect of it is key. Mental Health, obviously issues have come out of this COVID more than ever. Isolation is not good for anybody. And again, I'm very excited about this evening about being with a great group of people in that room and sharing the moment.

Tarah Schwartz: 37:46

And it is going to be one very exciting night. Lisa Giannone is one of the four co-chairs of the MUHC Foundation's Le Bal Rouge. She's also President and Chief Operating Officer of BFL Canada. If you'd like to learn more about the events, see some of the excitement that's going to be happening, just go to Le Bal Rouge.com. Thank you, Lisa, so much for accepting this this really wonderful place within the MUHC Foundation's gala to be chairing it with three other women. We thank you for your time, both today and on the night of the event. Thank you so much.

Lisa Giannone: 38:16

Thank you.

Tarah Schwartz: 38:18

I'm Tarah Schwartz. Thank you for tuning in. What would you like to hear about on the show? Write to us at health matters at MUHCFoundation.com. You can also follow the MUHC Foundation on social media or sign up for our newsletter just head to MUHCFoundation.com. I hope you will join me again next Sunday. Thank you so much for listening to Health Matters and stay healthy.