The Cause

Dream Lottery supports the highest priority needs of London Health Sciences Centre such as research, education, the development of innovative and enhanced patient care, and the purchase of leading edge technology and equipment. Here is a patient who benefitted from the extraordinary care at LHSC, which the lottery helps support:

Meet Marilyn

In 2009, Marilyn found herself suddenly without energy or appetite. Aches, pains and stiffness overwhelmed her, the whites of her eyes turned blood red and she began to cough blood.

When treatment at her local hospital did not ease her symptoms, she was transferred to London Health Sciences Centre. A biopsy confirmed a diagnosis of Wegener's Granulomatosis with severe pulmonary hemorrhage, a rare autoimmune disorder affecting blood vessels.

If left untreated, Wegener's could be fatal within months.

Marilyn spent the next two and a half years undergoing treatment that stabilized her condition, only to discover during a routine visit with LHSC's Dr. Faisal Rehman in April 2012 that Wegener's had come out of remission. This time, the disease was attacking her kidneys.

Marilyn was instantly admitted to the hospital for treatment that she describes as 'immediate and intense'.

Although there is no cure for Wegener's, Marilyn is now stable and her health is carefully monitored.

"I can never repay all the wonderful care that I have received," says Marilyn.  "By the grace of God and the care of Dr. Rehman and hospital staff, I attended my son's wedding, I am back at work and I continue to have time with my family and friends."