Bill Stephenson, age 59, is a live-life-to-the-fullest kind of person. A husband, father, musician, painter, pilot … incredibly, the list goes on. Yet his most recent achievement may also be his most impressive — he can walk.

In August 2021, the single-engine plane Bill was flying crashed into the ground. Following hours of surgery to repair his shattered spine, he was told that he would never walk again.

Then Bill met Dr. Chester Ho, a neurologist at the University of Alberta Hospital (UAH) with a special interest in spinal cord injuries. In fact, Dr. Ho was recruited to the University of Alberta in 2017 as Director, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, and inaugural Spinal Cord Injury Research Chair.

With years of medical training from renowned universities, including Cambridge and Harvard, Dr. Ho brought a different perspective to Bill’s charts and saw the potential for recovery. And, he was right.

As agents of hope, the University Hospital Foundation is committed to creating a world that is healthier, stronger and more prepared for the future that awaits us.

Dr. Ho is one of the many brilliant people at UAH whose work is supported by donors to the University Hospital Foundation. In this issue of HERE, you will learn more about how we are
igniting transformational change in areas as far-ranging as neurorehabilitation, diabetes research and the future of organ transplantation, as well as the role our corporate and individual donors have already played in changing the lives of people with end-stage kidney disease and other devastating conditions.

You will also learn how we use our unique position within the health care ecosystem to bring together leaders in industry, government and community to create partnerships that make
even the most daunting tasks — developing data platforms that may one day form the basis of astonishing medical breakthroughs in conditions
like multiple sclerosis and cardiopulmonary disease — possible.

Why are we telling you these stories? To share a glimpse of the incredible challenges and unimaginable inspiration and excitement that form the basis of our work; and to let you know that, as agents of hope, the University Hospital Foundation is committed to creating a world that is healthier, stronger and more prepared for the future that awaits us.

Of course, we can only accomplish this with your support. Donor generosity is at the heart of everything we do and together, everything is possible.