ABOUT

Sandra Rinomato

Sandra Rinomato, host of Property Virgins, Author of Realty Check: Secrets for Canadian First-Time Home Buyers and founder of the Horse and Boogie Fundraiser, credits the vision of this event to the work of Dr. R.J. Cusimano and Dr. John Granton, both esteemed doctors at Toronto General Hospital.

In June 2004, Dr. Cusimano saved her life by performing open-heart surgery with extraordinary expertise.  She continues to receive top-notch ongoing care from Dr. Granton who controls her Pulmonary Hypertension allowing her to take up the challenges of juggling family, business and TV.

Sandra is hosting this event in a gesture of gratitude for both of these renowned doctors and hopes that the Horse and Boogie Fundraiser will increase awareness of Pulmonary Hypertension and in turn help save lives.

Funds raised from Horse and Boogie will support research of two deadly diseases: heart failure and a lung condition called pulmonary hypertension. The two conditions are often related, as patients who have pulmonary hypertension must cope with serious heart conditions as well. Fortunately, Toronto General Hospital is a leader in the treatment of these two complex diseases. You are supporting the work of Dr. Robert Cusimano who specializes in the surgical treatment of heart failure at the Peter Munk Cardiac Centre, as well as Dr. John Granton who is Director of the Pulmonary Hypertension Program at TGH.

Paul Smith - Master of Ceremonies

In 1989 Paul Smith took the stage at Yuk Yuk’s Downtown flagship comedy club and has never looked back, and has once again, graciously agreed to be our Master of Ceremonies for the evening.

He quickly became a fan favourite, fitting in as easily on the fundraising circuit as in the comedy clubs. Besides every major comedy club in Canada, Paul has also performed at The NHL Awards (The ACC), The Canadian Sport Awards (CBC), Toronto Peoples Comedy Festival (Nathan Phillips Square), Tim Horton’s Children’s Foundation Golf Tournament, (Glendale Golf and Country Club) and hosted The Toronto Association For Community Living Benefit at the Winter Garden Theatre. Paul’s TV appearances include CLUB 54 (CHCH/ Comedy Channel), Yuk Yuk’s TV show(CBC/ A&E), Sick Kids Telethon (CTV/ Toronto & Calgary).

Paul was diagnosed with primary pulmonary hypertension in 2002, but thanks to the continuing efforts of Dr. David Fletcher, Dr. John Granton and Nurse Mary McCarthy he is back on the comedy stage and is always looking forward to the next show!

Dr. Robert Cusimano

Dr. Robert Cusimano is a Cardiovascular Surgeon at Toronto General Hospital and the 1992 Sopman Humanitarian Award winner. He is a medical graduate from the University of Calgary, with his Masters from U of T, and became certified with the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, specializing in General Surgery in 1991 and Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery in 1992.
Dr. Cusimano has trained in Calgary, Halifax, Houston, Boston and Capetown, South Africa. While serving as staff surgeon in Cardiovascular Surgery at Toronto General Hospital, UHN. Dr. Cusimano’s practice interests and areas of sub-specialization include pacemakers, off-pump beating heart surgery, transplantation and mechanical hearts.

Dr. Granton

Dr. Granton is an associate professor of medicine at the University of Toronto. He is the director of the pulmonary hypertension program at the University Health Network. This program serves patients from accross Ontario and the Eastern Provinces. For the past 12 years the pulmonary hypertension program has also acted as a resource for physians and care providers and has been involved in research and training physicians to care for patients with pulmonary hypertension.

Dr. Granton is also the program director of the Critical Care Medicine residency training program at the University of Toronto, chair of the Ontario Thoracic Society and Chair elect for the Canadian Critical Care Society. His clinical and research interests include acute lung injury, heart lung interactions, pulmonary hypertension, and right heart failure

About TGWHF

Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation raises funds for research, education and the enhancement of patient care at Toronto General Hospital and Toronto Western Hospital as well as their respective research arms, Toronto General Research Institute and Toronto Western Research Institute. The Foundation’s vision is to enable global leadership and innovation in health by developing and sustaining strong relationships with UHN stakeholders.

About UHN

UHN is a major landmark in Canada’s healthcare system and a teaching hospital of the University of Toronto. Building on the strength and reputation of each of our three hospitals - Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital and Princess Margaret Hospital - UHN has earned an international reputation for exemplary patient care, leading-edge scientific research and innovative medical education.

UHN has a great tradition of impressive outcomes and medical firsts. Through its research institutes - Toronto General Research Institute, Toronto Western Research Institute, and the Ontario Cancer Institute - UHN continues to expand the frontiers of science and contribute to the advancement of medical care in Canada and around the world. Visit www.uhn.ca for more.