Matching our Community’s Compassion

By Cancer Foundation on February 8 / 2018

Subhas and Uttra Bhargava love their community, but one of the things they love most is its potential – they know Ottawa is home to some of the best doctors, researchers and innovators in the world.

Having watched many of their loved ones confront difficult illnesses throughout their lives, Uttra and Subhas have been extremely active in supporting new ideas and promising research conducted locally for conditions like Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injuries, and cancer.

And this year they decided to support Cancer Coaching at the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation, and offer their donation as a matching opportunity for other donors.

“In the past, we have supported cancer research because it is a long-term investment in the health of our community,” Subhas explains, “but we’ve decided to also give to Cancer Coaching because it makes a difference right now. When you are facing cancer, there is so much you already have to wait for – being able to meet with a Cancer Coach gives you the chance to get what you need immediately.”

Uttra and Subhas recently lost a close family member to lung cancer, and wanted to find a way to give back in his honour. Coincidentally, when they reached out to the Cancer Foundation to see how they could help it was only a few weeks before Giving Tuesday, a national day of giving for people of all ages to support their favourite charities.

When they learned about the campaign and read the story of Dan and Melody Chook Reid’s cancer journey, they decided very quickly that this was how they wanted to help – the Chook-Reids had experienced the exact type of support that Uttra and Subhas wanted to make sure more people in their community could have access to when diagnosed with cancer.

“We have a job to do on this earth, to help others.” Says Uttra. “There’s so much to be done in the world, but we all have to start somewhere.”

“Our hope was that by offering to match all donations given in support of Cancer Coaching,” Subhas adds, “people would feel empowered to help and know what a big difference they are capable of making.”

Subhas and Uttra offered to match all Giving Tuesday donations up to $10,000, and with gifts still coming in our donors have contributed an additional $9,550.

Thank you Subhas and Uttra for your leadership, and to all who supported Cancer Coaching through Giving Tuesday!