Collects pins and tabs to make a difference
By Raynald Arsenault
1967: Raynald began his career in the kitchens of the Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont (HMR) without suspecting that he would still roam the corridors, more than 50 years later, for a completely different activity. His trigger was Sonia, a 12-year-old girl with a serious blood disease. It was upon seeing her that Raynald vowed to do something to help the little patients at the HMR in his own way. Without any pretension, he started collecting pins and bread ties at the HMR, in schools and from relatives.
Nothing deters Raynald, who now raises a few thousand dollars each year. Since 1994, his fundraising efforts have provided more than $ 60,000 to the Neonatal Unit and Pediatrics for the purchase of medical equipment and other materials for young patients.
Little Sonia has grown up. Saved by the first bone marrow transplant in Quebec, she has also found a way to give back . Today, she devotes herself to caring for others as a nurse … at the HMR.
To this day, Raynald continues his collection work with passion and determination.