Matthew Mailing

Inspiring a Legacy

When he passed away in 2003 at the age of 34 from complications related to heart transplant surgery, Matthew Mailing left family members, friends and colleagues with the memory of a fun-loving, thoughtful man.

While unusual for someone this young to have such vision and foresight, Matt bequeathed one third of his estate to support London Health Sciences Centre's (LHSC) Multi-Organ Transplant Program (MOTP). While Matt saw that a legacy gift could allow him to make a difference by donating more than he could have during his lifetime, his gift had more impact than he could have ever imagined. It was the catalyst for establishing a world-class facility in transplantation studies.

"Matthew valued and respected the staff at LHSC," says Matt's younger brother Paul. "He wanted to make a difference and contribute to the future of the program."

Inspired by his generosity, Matt's brother and friends held a golf tournament to raise funds and awareness for MOTP. Between Matt's bequest, the golf tournament, a personal gift from Matt's parents and memorial donations, the amount raised by the end of 2004 reached $99,000.

In 2005, the Mailing family announced a further gift of $500,000 to London Health Sciences Foundation to establish The Matthew Mailing Centre for Translational Transplant Studies, a joint venture of LHSC and Lawson Health Research Institute.

London Health Sciences Centre has long been recognized as a world leader in transplantation. With over 4,100 transplants performed it has been the site of many innovations and firsts, including a multi-organ transplant on a five-month-old infant in 1997 (the world's youngest recipient) and Canada's first adult-to-adult living-donor liver transplant in 2000.

Our Hospital's reputation in transplantation and the plans for the new research centre attracted the attention of leading healthcare companies, resulting in further donations.

Since the initial generosity of Matthew Mailing, proceeds from the annual golf event and the donations from corporations and individuals have grown to more than $4,250,000 for constructing and equipping this state-of-the-art centre. Scheduled for completion this year, it will include one of the world's most advanced microsurgery laboratories.

"Its focus is on accelerating the translation of transplant research to directly improve patient care," says Dr. William Wall, Director of MOTP.

With forethought and one simple gesture Matt set the groundwork for future miracles.

"I just feel that down the road, great things will be discovered. That's what this research centre is all about: to help people; to keep organs longer in better condition; to do research on anti-rejection drugs and also to do experimental work," says Matt's mother Carol proudly.

That is the true power of Matt's legacy gift.