Good Deed, Well Done

Transat A.T. Inc. and the Institut de recherches cliniques de Montreal (IRCM) / Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM) have unveiled details of the Transat Breast Cancer Research Chair, to be affiliated with the laboratory led by Dr. Jean-Franτois Cote, an IRCM researcher and Universite de Montreal professor.

The Chair is being instituted with a $500,000 donation from Transat.

Jean-Marc Eustache, president and CEO, Transat, commented: “Breast cancer is a disease that has affected many of our company’s employees. Combating it is a cause that we care a great deal about. We believe the solution, clearly, is research, and it is an honour for our company to be partnering with the IRCM, a world-renowned research centre. I am particularly pleased that we are supporting the work of Dr. Cote by creating the Transat Breast Cancer Research Chair.”

The announcement of the donation, made at the IRCM, was warmly received by those in attendance, which comprised around a 100 Transat employees and people close to them, including several women diagnosed with breast cancer.

Among them were Milene Lanthier, assistant to the president of Transat Distribution Canada, Celine Boudreau, a trainer at Transat Tours Canada, and Linda Harrison, an analyst with Transat, each of whom shared moving stories about their battle with the disease and the importance of research.

“My belief is that through continued research, there will be a day we can eliminate breast cancer as a cause of death,” Harrison said in summarizing her colleagues’ remarks. “But if we did not have dedicated supporters providing the means for dedicated researchers, we would not be not able to keep up the fight. That is why I personally thank researchers such as those working at IRCM and supporters like Transat, which keep pushing forward.”