Watch the video above: Business promises to match $15k in donations for young girl with cystic fibrosis. Cindy Pom reports.
TORONTO – A Toronto-area business owner is hoping to raise $30,000 for Madi Vanstone, a young girl with a rare form of cystic fibrosis, whose drugs aren’t covered by OHIP.
Brent Jollymore, owner of SaleEvent.ca, promised to match donations at his annual warehouse sale: up to $15,000.
“We get 30,000 people through this sale, at a dollar each, it’s not a lot,” he said in an interview Friday. “We do a lot of charity work and we get involved as much as we can. And we try to do the work directly with the people who are going to receive the money.”
He hopes to raise at least $30,000. He has donation bins set up at his warehouse sale and his cashiers are encouraging customers to donate.
Madi, 12, has a rare form of cystic fibrosis and the drug she’s taking, Kalydeco, costs approximately $68,000 a year after deducting what her father’s insurance covers and a drug company discount.
“With everything going on with the government and OHIP and the waste of money and this and that, I was blown away that they didn’t have enough money to pay for the prescription,” Jollymore said.
He added that whether or not his company makes a profit during the sale, he will still match the donations.
Madi met with Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne on March 3, asking her to obtain government funding for Kalydeco.
At the time, Wynne said there’s “no question” the government wants to fund the drug but it’s being hampered by ongoing negotiations with the manufacturer.
However, a host of other countries have negotiated the price lower, including the United States, England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Greece.
– With files from Cindy Pom
Comments