Bruce Guenther’s family knows firsthand the frustration and sadness associated with seeing a father, grandfather and great-grandfather living with Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disorder often characterized by symptoms such as uncontrollable tremors.
Bruce’s father and grandfather were longtime patients of neurologist Dr. Ali Rajput, who came to Saskatoon in 1967 and subsequently founded the Saskatchewan Movement Disorders Program (SMDP) at Royal University Hospital. The program marries the treatment of patients with research and is funded mainly through donations to the Dr. Ali Rajput Endowment for Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Research.
The Guenthers, a multigenerational Mennonite family with Canadian roots planted in Saskatchewan, are grateful for the care they have had and continue to receive from the world-renowned Dr. Rajput and the SMDP. While many of us show appreciation for the care we’ve received by making a financial contribution, the Guenther family literally gave of themselves.
Over the years, members of the Guenther family with Parkinson’s disease have participated in Dr. Rajput’s research projects by providing valuable time and clinical information, as well as donating blood and even brain samples.
In 2011, a much larger group of extended family members participated in what would become a major collaborative international study involving many brain samples of Parkinson’s patients and control subjects. The resulting study, published in 2014, identified another genetic variation that can lead to Parkinson’s disease.
“It’s difficult to watch your family members’ health deteriorate over time as a result of such a debilitating disease,” says Bruce, who now lives in Abbotsford, BC. “So having the opportunity to participate in this research project helped to give our family a sense of hope that something good like a new therapy or even a cure might yet result from their suffering.”
Dr. Rajput has devoted a career spanning almost six decades to improving the quality of life for people living with Parkinson’s and other movement disorders. He created Canada’s first brain bank dedicated to patients with these disorders. It consists of more than 700 brains, samples of which are eagerly accessed by national and international researchers and are provided free of charge.
The program is widely recognized as the best in the world. It was chosen as one of the four major advances made by a Saskatchewan physician in the province’s history.
“Research and patient care are linked inseparably, and when advances are made in one, they help advance the other,” says Dr. Rajput. “I am extremely humbled to have received humanitarian gifts from so many patients and family members and the generosity of donors in funding the Saskatchewan Movement Disorders Program.”
Like his two neurology colleagues, Dr. Rajput does not receive a salary from SMDP. The donations received through the Endowment cover costs associated with the research part of clinics in Saskatoon and Regina, research-related transportation, research assistant salaries, and related expenses.
Dr. Rajput continues to give generously to support the continued work of SMDP, having recently donated $25,000 to the Endowment.
“We need to continue supporting SMDP because we haven’t yet found a cure for these diseases.”
Join Dr. Ali Rajput and many other generous donors affected by Parkinson’s disease by donating to the Dr. Ali Rajput Endowment for Parkinson’s Disease. The funds raised through the Endowment stay in our province to support SMDP and advance Parkinson’s research here in Saskatchewan.
Visit ruhf.org to donate or contact Arielle Deslauriers, Major Gifts Officer, at 306.655.1984 or info@ruhf.org.
Read more inspiring stories in our Fall 2024 Milestones or make your donation now.
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