Alberta Cancer Foundation and Jack Ady Cancer Centre to unveil Amir and Saker Manji Healing Gardens in honour of landmark contribution.
June 13, 2024 (Lethbridge, Alberta) – The Alberta Cancer Foundation and the Jack Ady Cancer Centre are proud to announce the unveiling of the Amir and Saker Manji Healing Gardens, a serene outdoor space named in memory of Amir Manji and in recognition of the Manji family’s generous donation of $500,000 to the cancer centre. This incredible gift – the largest ever made to the Jack Ady Cancer Centre – will significantly enhance the centre’s medical equipment and oncology training programs. The Manji family’s generous contribution stems from their deep appreciation for the care and compassion they received while Amir Manji was undergoing treatment for stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer at the Jack Ady. During his treatment, Amir spent a lot of time taking in the cancer centre’s outdoor spaces and the family developed meaningful connections with the staff, fueling their desire to give back.“I want to thank the Alberta Cancer Foundation and the cancer centre here in Lethbridge for all their love and care and how well they looked after us,” says Saker Manji, Amir’s wife. “I never imagined this love and care would come from people I have never met. I am very grateful for that.”Amir passed away in 2018, but his legacy lives on through his family’s gift made to the cancer centre that provided them with invaluable care.
“The work, compassion and effort that health-care professionals put into their jobs is another reason we chose to give back,” says Nimisha Manji, one of Saker and Amir’s daughters. “We want to support them in their incredible work. My mom often expressed just how grateful she was for the amazing oncologists, radiation therapists and nurses. Compassion and care at the Jack Ady Cancer Centre made a world of difference. It was invaluable and meaningful to us.”Among the new medical equipment purchased with the Manji family’s donation is a PTW BeamSCAN, which enhances the precision and safety of radiation therapy treatments for patients with cancer. “The PTW BeamSCAN is a robotic scanner that enables the medical physics team to make detailed measurements of the radiation beams that we use to treat patients receiving radiation therapy at the Jack Ady Cancer Centre,” says Charles Kirkby, senior medical physicist, Jack Ady Cancer Centre, and adjunct professor, departments of oncology and physics and astronomy, University of Calgary. “This information is used to program the computers we plan treatments with, making all radiation treatments at the [Jack Ady] as safe and effective as possible. And because the BeamSCAN can be set up quickly and perform these scans efficiently, it means more time is available to do what we do best—treat patients.”
“We are grateful to the Manji family for their extraordinary generosity,” says Rajko Dodic, Trustee with the Alberta Cancer Foundation. “Their donation will not only provide the Jack Ady Cancer Centre with brand new medical equipment and training programs but also ensures the centre can continue to provide the best experience possible for patients and their families. The Amir and Saker Manji Healing Gardens is a fitting name for a space that adds to this experience with its serene and comforting environment, reflecting the compassion and care that define the centre’s approach to cancer treatment.”
Interview opportunities:
- Wendy Beauchesne, CEO, Alberta Cancer Foundation
- Saker Manji, Donor
