How a lucky poker hand turned into a donation to the Ottawa Hospital
When he won a 51-inch plasma television, Mortgage Broker Frank Napolitano wasn’t quite sure what to do with it, until he learned that the CyberKnife radiation therapy bunker could use a television to distract patients receiving treatments.
A lucky hand in a game of poker benefitted The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre recently.
When he won a 51-inch plasma television, Frank Napolitano wasn’t quite sure what to do with it, until he attended a President’s Dinner and learned that the CyberKnife radiation therapy bunker could use a television to distract patients receiving treatments.
The TV, which would be installed on the ceiling directly above the patient, would allow the patient to watch TV while lying on their backs for treatment. It would replace the mural that is currently on the ceiling.
“I thought it was a great idea,” said Napolitano, who had been a supporter of The Ottawa Hospital Foundation for over a year. A managing partner at Mortgage Brokers Ottawa, Napolitano had many reasons to be attracted to The Ottawa Hospital cause – he and his mother were both treated for illnesses there, and all three of his children were born at the Civic Campus. In addition, one of the company mandates at Mortgage Brokers Ottawa is to give back to the community.
Often, anxiety and stress surrounds radiation treatment, said Dr. Jason Pantarotto, an oncologist at The Ottawa Hospital.
“Sometimes treatments go beyond two hours, so we try to make the patients as comfortable as possible,” he said. “Distractions make the time go by faster, so something like this can go a long way.”