Several generations of her family have trained at The Neuro. “Dr. Eddie Archibald, a distant cousin of my grandfather was in part responsible for bringing Dr. Wilder Penfield to head up The Neuro where my mother, aunt, sister and mother-in-law did part of their RVH nursing training. My mother-in-law was, in fact, one of the operating room nurses for Dr. Wilder Penfield. My mother’s two brothers Archibald interned at The Neuro as part of their McGill medical degrees.”
In the decades since graduation, Rand Harrison has been an active volunteer for McGill. Most recently in the years since retiring to Nova Scotia, she has won the Alumni Event of the Year Award in 2008 and in 2018, the D. Lorne Gales Special Recognition Award from the McGill Alumni Association.
She first considered a commitment to The Neuro when she lost her husband to brain cancer at the age of 49. “Years later, I was inspired by a meeting with Dr. William Feindel, who gave me a tour of The Neuro and the Brain Tumour Research Centre. Through him, I met some remarkable doctors, such as Dr. Kevin Petrecca, and learned about their great research. It truly opened my eyes to the possibilities, hopefulness and specifically the importance of research into this form of cancer and the need to encourage and support scientists who dedicate themselves to this cause.”
For Rand Harrison, her bequest, therefore, is both a generous gesture and a very personal one.
“The Neuro is a great research centre with a focus on patient care,” says Rand Harrison. “That’s why my bequest is to support research into brain cancer and contribute to progress in its diagnoses, causes, treatment and cure. The Neuro truly makes a difference.”
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