CALGARY'S PROSTATE CANCER CENTRE RECEIVES A $5-MILLION GIFT FROM RANCE AND MARILYN FISHER TO EXPAND SERVICES AND RESEARCH IN MEN'S HEALTH

CALGARY'S PROSTATE CANCER CENTRE RECEIVES A $5-MILLION GIFT FROM RANCE AND MARILYN FISHER TO EXPAND SERVICES AND RESEARCH IN MEN'S HEALTH​

The Prostate Cancer Centre (PCC) in Calgary, Alberta has received a $5 million donation from the Rance & Marilyn Fisher Family Charitable Foundation. This generous gift will enable the PCC to expand its previous initiatives but more importantly explore new frontiers in the arena of men’s health.

The PCC is located in Calgary and its services benefit not only Calgarians but also residents of Southern Alberta. The rise in the population of Calgary and surrounding areas fuels the much needed growth in the activities of the PCC. This generous gift from Rance and Marilyn will now enable the PCC to grow in the coming months. Amongst the many potential frontiers of growth, the PCC will focus on two priorities (1) patient care and (2) cancer research in men’s health. PCC’s growth will include an expansion of its physical size to house; current plus many new patient care services (i.e. mental health and holistic care) and numerous novel cancer research activities (i.e. personalized medicine and artificial intelligence). Investing in these activities, enabled by the Fisher donation, will allow PCC to more effectively deliver on its ‘bench to bedside’ service model while improving men’s health.

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From left, Dr. Eric Hyndman, Dr. Bryan Donnelly, and Rance Fisher.

Both Rance and Marilyn Fisher are exemplary members of the Calgary community. Rance, a pioneer in the oil and gas industry in Alberta, is a member of the Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame whose generous philanthropic activities include; major contributions to Alberta’s Children’s Hospital, the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter and now to the PCC. His own personal experience with services provided by the PCC as guided by Dr. Eric Hyndman, a member of the Board of Directors at the PCC, was the major impetus underlying the current gift. Rance hopes that fellow men and their families in need of PCC services will receive comprehensive and cutting edge care in a ‘state of the art’ facility close to home.

Each year more than 22,000 men receive care from the PCC. Every individual has rapid access to medical care by a team of healthcare providers who focus on men’s health. The care is constantly updated because the PCC not only offers medical services, it also engages in the latest cancer clinical trials. Dr Hyndman and the PCC are grateful to Rance and Marilyn Fisher for their generous donation enabling the PCC to expand and spark new initiatives that will benefit thousands of men and their families in Southern Alberta.

The PCC is focused on prostate cancer and was founded in 1999 by Dr. Bryan Donnelly. Dr. Donnelly says “Everyone at the PCC along with the whole community share in the excitement arising from this gift because it is an enormous contribution to enhance care for PCC patients and ultimately, to find the right cure for prostate cancer”.

The Southern Alberta Institute of Urology (SAIU), a collaborative institute, began in 2010 following equal contributions totaling $10-million to the Calgary Health Trust by Daryl (Doc) Seaman and W. Brett Wilson. Both of these donors had personal journeys through the PCC.

Growth in the PCC will strengthen the collaborative efforts with the SIAU and help to improve the treatment and care of men and men’s health.

The PCC is an Alberta nonprofit and operates thanks to the support of donors, community partnerships and sponsors. Contributions to the PCC enhance local clinical care services and expand transformational cancer research. Please help the PCC continue to develop these initiatives by donating.

From left, Dr. Hyndman, Dr. Donnelly, and Rance Fisher.

The Prostate Cancer Centre (PCC) in Calgary, Alberta has received a $5 million donation from the Rance & Marilyn Fisher Family Charitable Foundation. This generous gift will enable the PCC to expand its previous initiatives but more importantly explore new frontiers in the arena of men’s health.

The PCC is located in Calgary and its services benefit not only Calgarians but also residents of Southern Alberta. The rise in the population of Calgary and surrounding areas fuels the much needed growth in the activities of the PCC. This generous gift from Rance and Marilyn will now enable the PCC to grow in the coming months. Amongst the many potential frontiers of growth, the PCC will focus on two priorities (1) patient care and (2) cancer research in men’s health. PCC’s growth will include an expansion of its physical size to house; current plus many new patient care services (i.e. mental health and holistic care) and numerous novel cancer research activities (i.e. personalized medicine and artificial intelligence). Investing in these activities, enabled by the Fisher donation, will allow PCC to more effectively deliver on its ‘bench to bedside’ service model while improving men’s health.

Both Rance and Marilyn Fisher are exemplary members of the Calgary community. Rance, a pioneer in the oil and gas industry in Alberta, is a member of the Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame whose generous philanthropic activities include; major contributions to Alberta’s Children’s Hospital, the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter and now to the PCC. His own personal experience with services provided by the PCC as guided by Dr. Eric Hyndman, a member of the Board of Directors at the PCC, was the major impetus underlying the current gift. Rance hopes that fellow men and their families in need of PCC services will receive comprehensive and cutting edge care in a ‘state of the art’ facility close to home.

Each year more than 22,000 men receive care from the PCC. Every individual has rapid access to medical care by a team of healthcare providers who focus on men’s health. The care is constantly updated because the PCC not only offers medical services, it also engages in the latest cancer clinical trials. Dr Hyndman and the PCC are grateful to Rance and Marilyn Fisher for their generous donation enabling the PCC to expand and spark new initiatives that will benefit thousands of men and their families in Southern Alberta.

The PCC is focused on prostate cancer and was founded in 1999 by Dr. Bryan Donnelly. Dr. Donnelly says “Everyone at the PCC along with the whole community share in the excitement arising from this gift because it is an enormous contribution to enhance care for PCC patients and ultimately, to find the right cure for prostate cancer”.

The Southern Alberta Institute of Urology (SAIU), a collaborative institute, began in 2010 following equal contributions totaling $10-million to the Calgary Health Trust by Daryl (Doc) Seaman and W. Brett Wilson. Both of these donors had personal journeys through the PCC.

Growth in the PCC will strengthen the collaborative efforts with the SIAU and help to improve the treatment and care of men and men’s health.

The PCC is an Alberta nonprofit and operates thanks to the support of donors, community partnerships and sponsors. Contributions to the PCC enhance local clinical care services and expand transformational cancer research. Please help the PCC continue to develop these initiatives by donating.

 

About The Rance & Marilyn Fisher Family Charitable Foundation

The Rance and Marilyn Fisher Family Charitable Foundation, is a Calgary-based organization established in 2021 to further Rance Fisher’s personal philosophy of giving back and to ensure the Fisher family’s legacy of support for generations to come.

The Foundation has committed support to worthy initiatives in central and southern Alberta with a focus on the health, well-being, and education of children and youth, and mental health initiatives that support people of all ages.

Rance Fisher and his wife, Marilyn

Video Interview with Rance Fisher:

EXPANDING EXCELLENCE IN MEN'S HEALTH AND CANCER RESEARCH

EXPANDING EXCELLENCE IN MEN'S HEALTH AND CANCER RESEARCH

Highlights of the Expansion:

  •  A Novel Personalized Medicine Program
  • Pre-Habilitation/Rehabilitation
  • Mental Health Services
  • Artificial Intelligence/ Machine learning Surgical Hub

The men’s health expansion will include: 

Kawakami Prehabilitation Clinic

Much of the morbidity associated with urological care is a result of the patients medical comorbidities.

The primary reason for extended hospital stays and mortality associated with cancer surgery is post-operative cardiovascular complications such as a heart attack.

Preventing cardiovascular complications and many other post-operative complications can be prevented by improving the patients’ health before surgery. We have shown that an intensive exercise program and rehabilitation can significantly reduce the length of stay, transfusion rates and other complications. 

Mental Health Services

Discovering that you have cancer and require life changing surgery can be overwhelming for many patients and their families.

Mental health support is critical component of cancer care. Supportive resources are desperately needed and this program will be an essential part of the new initiatives.

Artificial Intelligence Hub

The personalized medicine program will depend on analysis of massive amounts of genetic, clinical and pathological data. An artificial intelligence hub, with data management, and analytical personnel is needed to produce clinical meaningful decisions. Collection of vitals and monitoring exercise progress will also be essential to ensure the success of both the personalized medicine program and prehabilitation.

Moreover over the last 10 years we have been creating on of the largest clinical/biorepositories of prostate cancer samples in the world. We aim to expand on this and sequence the pathological specimens and apply machine learning to the pathological images to improve the future care of our patients.

Personalized Medicine

Personalized medicine uses newly developed technologies such as artificial Intelligence, genetic sequencing, proteomics/pathology, imaging-PET -PMSA to predict what treatment is best for an individual patient. This paradigm shift in cancer treatment allows the best treatment to be selected for an individual patients disease thereby improving care and efficacy and at the same time reduces costly ineffective treatments.
Personalized Medicine in Cancer
Personalized medicine uses newly developed technologies such as artificial Intelligence, genetic sequencing, proteomics/pathology, imaging-PET -PMSA to predict what treatment is best for an individual patient. This paradigm shift in cancer treatment allows the best treatment to be selected for an individual patients disease thereby improving care and efficacy and at the same time reduces costly ineffective treatments.

Video Resources:

MEET THE ACCELERATORS OF EXCELLENCE

MEET THE ACCELERATORS OF EXCELLENCE

These generous leaders have made remarkable gifts, fueled momentum, and accelerated discovery and excellence.

Legendary Leader

Leading by example and turning a vision into reality, this philanthropist is a pillar of our community and contributed the major building blocks to make legendary changes in cancer care.

Rance Fisher is the quintessential Albertan. Born in 1937 and raised on a farm near Lacombe, he grew up in poverty and, at a young age, set his sights on a better life. A natural businessperson with strong vision and a willingness to embrace risk, Rance not only created and led several successful businesses, but along the way he is living a life of impact. Over his 60+ years in business, Rance Fisher founded, grew, and sold several businesses and employed thousands of Albertans. Mostly known for his involvement in the oil and gas service sector, his businesses included xxxWireline, Canyon Trucking, Trialta Tools, CenAlta Well Services, Toran Rentals, Crown Caisson, Crown Energy Technologies, Kearney Properties, and Fisher Investments.

With a nod to his upbringing, Rance has always made giving back a personal priority. In 1995, he launched the CenAlta Futures Foundation in partnership with a select group of production companies to fund programs for rural Alberta youth.

A member of the advisory committee to the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT), Rance generously donated a working service rig to provide students with hands-on experience and also sponsored an ongoing scholarship program. A section of the training facility is named for him, and he was awarded an honorary Bachelor of Applied Technology degree in 2000.

In 2001 Rance Fisher was inducted into the Canadian Petroleum Hall of Fame for his significant contributions to the industry.

In 2021, he created the Rance and Marilyn Fisher Family Charitable Foundation, a Calgary-based organization intended to further his personal philosophy of giving back and to ensure the Fisher family’s legacy of support for generations to come. In its first year, the Foundation has awarded close to seven million dollars to regional charities including the Calgary Women’s Emergency Shelter, the Alberta Children’s Hospital, and the Prostate Cancer Centre.

Rance and his wife of 58 years, Marilyn, raised three children and have seven grandchildren.

The Initiators

These community advocates ignited new ideas and provided the first funding required to launch the project and inspire others to join.

A strong advocate for Canadian scientific excellence, John has forged a partnership between AGAT Laboratories, Tom Baker Cancer Centre, Calgary Prostate Cancer Centre (PCC), and the University of Calgary to initiate a program designed to develop Artificial Intelligence in the treatment of bladder and prostate cancers.  In addition, a recent endeavour brings together AHS Doctors from the PCC and Chumir Center, City of Calgary Police, and Calgary Schools and Teachers. The team has developed a youth program to encourage scientific literacy with junior high students through tours and presentations aimed at educating students and parents about the dangers of Opiods and substance abuse.

Clayton and Linda Woitas have been incredible pillars of our community. Clayton has been involved in the oil and natural gas industry for over 45 years.  He has been a Founder, President, Chief Executive Officer, Director and Chairman for numerous private and public energy companies and advisory boards.  Linda has served as a Teacher, School Administrator, Supervisor and Director of Human Resources with the Calgary Catholic School District throughout her 40 year career. Her experience has been key to assisting the AGAT Labs Foundation with their community outreach to the schools.

Clayton and Linda are committed to giving back to the community that has served them so well. Some of their philanthropic activity includes creation of the Founders Circle with the Calgary Catholic School District Education Foundation, support for the Economic Futures Council with Junior Achievement Alberta, the University of Calgary, Haskayne School of Business, the Schulich School of Engineering, St. Mary’s University, and a number of School Projects in Zambia and other parts of Africa.

In addition, they have financially supported projects and commissioned  Art and Mosaic initiatives at St. Stephen Parish in Calgary.  Over the years, many individuals, families and clubs have received discreet and confidential financial support from the Woitas Family; a further testament to their generosity and good will to others.

Dr. Spaner is a specialist in diagnostic radiology at Mayfair Diagnostics where she became a partner in 2003. She has provided medical imaging and specialized radiology services in Calgary and across Southern Alberta, Saskatchewan, the Yukon, and the North West Territories.

Shelley completed her Medical Degree at the University of Alberta in Edmonton in 1996. In 2001, she completed her Fellowship in Diagnostic Imaging, and that same year, was appointed to the medical staff of Alberta Health Services, a position she continues to hold. In 2002, she began teaching at the University of Calgary, and was appointed clinical assistant professor in 2003.

Shelly is a member of the Alberta Society and the Canadian Association of Radiologists, the Society of Abdominal Radiologists, and the Radiological Society of North America. Shelley became a Board Member at Calgary’s Prostate Cancer Center in 2015, and in 2017, founded the Women for Men’s Health initiative. Motivated by the visible gap in the current system, which frequently sees men fall through the healthcare cracks, this initiative’s primary goal is to shift men’s behaviour towards preventing treatable disease and maintaining good health, as well as mobilizing women in this effort.

Partnerships and Donor Support

We are grateful to all the donors who have made the Prostate Cancer Centre a philanthropic priority in our community and supported our highest priorities and aspirations.

With your continued support we are pushing boundaries in clinical care and helping researchers find breakthrough treatments for all those affected by prostate cancer today and those who may face it tomorrow.

Please join us in expanding our medical reach for those in need and consider donating or sponsoring one of our major initiatives.