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Lemieux awards $5 million to UPMC Will go to artificial organ, cancer units and Magee Friday, February 09, 2001 By Anita Srikameswaran, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Mario Lemieux and the foundation that carries his name scored a hat trick yesterday for medical research.
Lemieux presented $5 million, the largest grant by his foundation to date, to three of the University of Pittburgh Medical Center's divisions: its Cancer Institute, Magee-Womens Hospital and the McGowan Center for Artificial Organ Development. Each will establish centers in the Lemieux name to advance patient care and research.
The Penguins' center and owner underwent radiation treatments for Hodgkin's disease in 1993.
"It was certainly a very difficult time in my life, not only for myself, but for my wife and my family," he said. That experience led him to set up the foundation to raise money and help others cope with cancer.
The University of Pittsburgh Cancer Center received $4.4 million to create the Center for Patient Care, the Laboratory in Pediatric Leukemia Research and the Laboratory in Hodgkin's Disease Research, all named for the legendary hockey player.
The remainder of the donation was evenly split between Magee and the McGowan Center.
At Magee, Lemieux's 4-year-old son will lend his name to the Austin Lemieux Neonatal Research project. The boy, now healthy, was born 31/2 months prematurely at Magee.
Dr. Jon Watchko, Magee's director of neonatology and developmental biology, said the project would sponsor research to improve the quality of life of preterm infants
The Lemieux Foundation has supported cancer and neonatal research in the past, but yesterday's announcement marked the first time it has contributed to artificial organ development.
Board members grew interested after some visited the McGowan Center and came back wowed by its exploration of the frontiers of biotechnology.
"This is a world class operation that is doing things that nobody has ever thought about before, and they're right in our own back yard," said foundation executive director Tom Grealish.
The grant will establish the Mario Lemieux Project in Early Stage Research at the artificial organ center, where researchers are developing heart assist devices, artificial lungs and other technologies.
The foundation will get a yearly report on the Lemieux Centers, but its chairman doesn't plan to tell the researchers how to use the funds.
"We have a lot of confidence" in the three institutions, Lemieux said. "We have a great relationship with all of them, and it's up to them to choose where the money goes."
He said the foundation would continue to raise money for research through donations from individuals and his annual summer golf tournament, which raised more than $1.2 million last year.
More information about the Mario Lemieux Foundation can be found at www.mariolemieux.org, or by calling (888) 39MARIO.
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