Toronto, Ontario, Nov. 09, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- LifeLabs announced its partnership with the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario (POGO) as lead sponsor of the Pajamas and Pancakes program. To mark the occasion, LifeLabs employees flipped pancakes and shared a pancake breakfast in their LifeLabs pajamas to raise funds and awareness in support of POGO. Proceeds from the event went directly to POGO’s mission to increase access to state-of-the-art cancer care for children and families in Ontario, support education and research initiatives and provide financial support for children and families battling cancer.
“POGO - a champion of so many young people and families as they journey through kid’s cancer, needs champions to help meet the challenges and embrace the opportunities of the future. We are thrilled to welcome LifeLabs as our "Proud Partner" to our new program "Pajamas and Pancakes". LifeLabs’ commitment allows us to sustain our unique mission to provide access to the best available support for every child in Ontario who has met the monster called cancer, and to the families who love and so desperately want to protect those children. Thank you LifeLabs, for joining our league of champions.” said POGO spokesperson Lynn Wilson, Chief Development Officer.
LifeLabs’ own Joby McKenzie, Senior Vice President, Business Development shared her own personal story about her son’s battle with cancer and the support her family receives from POGO. “It is impossible to be prepared to tell your 5-year old he has cancer. When your child gets cancer, many people are affected: from extended family members, to friends and neighbours, to classmates and colleagues. The affects trickle into your whole community,” said Joby. “In Ontario, every family is assigned a specialized community cancer nurse from POGO when their child is diagnosed with cancer to help navigate this new world. Tina, our POGO nurse has been so helpful. My family is so grateful for this support. As a cause that is near and dear to my heart, I am so proud of the work LifeLabs is doing in support of POGO.”
McKenzie announced that LifeLabs will be donating $200,000 over four years to POGO, in addition to the funds raised at today’s Pajamas and Pancake breakfast. “Today’s event was just the beginning. LifeLabs is committed to supporting POGO through Pajamas and Pancakes events with our employees across Canada at our labs and patient service centres - it’s the coziest way to champion kids’ cancer care!” said McKenzie.
For more information about the partnership visit: http://www.lifelabs.com/
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About LifeLabs
LifeLabs is a Canadian-owned company with over 50 years of experience providing laboratory testing services to help healthcare providers diagnose, treat, monitor, and prevent disease in patients. In communities across British Columbia and Ontario, LifeLabs delivers cost-effective, convenient access to laboratory testing services essential for optimal outcomes in healthcare. LifeLabs employs approximately 5,400 professionally trained staff and delivers over 100 million laboratory tests, supporting over 19 million patient visits annually. In 2013, LifeLabs acquired BC Biomedical in British Columbia and CML HealthCare in Ontario making LifeLabs the largest community laboratory in Canada. LifeLabs is indirectly owned by OMERS Administration Corporation, whose interest is managed by OMERS Infrastructure Management Inc. In addition to being the first community lab to conduct non-invasive prenatal testing in Canada, LifeLabs is the first lab to provide online appointment booking for patients, non-fasting protocols and secure, online access to lab results for patients.
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A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/15ee3682-1b8d-4d3c-add7-c86defeb749c