Kelowna General Hospital (KGH) has received a $1 million gift that will radically advance care for those living with Parkinson’s disease in the Southern Interior.
The donation was made by Barry Humphreys, with his wife Anne, and their two children, Kim and Doug, through their family foundation.
Barry was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2020.
“He’s been doing his best to gracefully navigate the changes he’s experienced in his body and mind as the disease has progressed,” explained daughter Kim.
The gift has been specifically earmarked to increase capacity and expand the service model for the Movement Disorder Clinic at KGH, established in 2015 by neurologist, Dr. Daryl Wile.
“We have a high prevalence of Parkinson’s disease in Interior Health, perhaps because many folks, much like the Humphreys, choose to move to the region and make it home once they retire,” said Dr. Wile. “We expect the numbers will continue to grow, as the primary risk factor for Parkinson’s disease is age.
The Movement Disorder Clinic at KGH focuses on Parkinson’s disease, which affects roughly 2700 people in the Interior Health Region, with more than 300 people diagnosed in 2023.
The Humphreys gift is the third major announcement by the KGH Foundation since last September in support of their $40 million ‘Closer to home than you think’ campaign.
It includes a $5 million commitment to establish a Centre of Excellence for Brain Health at KGH.
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