A brother’s life and legacy remembered

Ron and Diane Campbell with Heather and Mark Campbell outside of the Bloomfield Public House.

Cancer takes the lives of many people every day, and in May of 2019, lung cancer took Mark Campbell at the age of 59.

Mark will not get to see Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital rebuilt, but he was a big advocate for it. Because of this, his family and friends continue to help the Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital Foundation Back the Build.

Last winter, the community came together and contributed to the ‘Cheer for Grampy’ fundraiser, which raised more than $31,000 for the Campbell family to attend a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey game. The remainder of the funds were then donated to Hospice Prince Edward and the PECMH Foundation, thus starting the Campbell family’s legacy of giving back to the County’s hospital.

When Mark passed, his friends and family continued to honour his memory, by making more than $8,000 in memorial donations for Back the Build.

Today, just a little more than a year after Mark’s cancer diagnosis was discovered, Mark’s brother Ron and his wife Diane stepped forward with a $25,000 gift to honour their late brother. This donation will help the PECMH Foundation get another step closer to raising the funds needed to build a new hospital in Prince Edward County.

“Even though some time has passed since Mark died, brick by brick, the impact of these amazing tribute gifts will carry on after the doors to our new hospital open,” said Shannon Coull, executive director of the PECMH Foundation. “The Campbell family is an outstanding example of the community spirit we see in Prince Edward County. This gift makes a remarkable impact. On behalf of our entire hospital, its staff and patients, I want to thank the Campbell family for their generosity.”

Brothers Ron and Mark Campbell

Presenting the gift to the Foundation on behalf of Ron and Diane were Mark’s parents, Gary and BJ, Mark’s wife Heather and daughter Billi. Mark’s brother and sister-in-law live in Alberta and were unable to be present.

“We want to sincerely thank the Campbell family for keeping Prince Edward County Memorial Hospital in their hearts and for standing with us as we work toward building a new home for our County hospital,” said Nancy Parks, Back the Build Campaign Co-Chair. “It is vital our hospital continues to deliver state-of-the-art health care, which is one of the reasons why we need a new hospital. The Campbell family’s continued investment in our Back the Build campaign really resonates with us. We feel inspired by the impact gifts made in tribute to Mark continue to have on the future of health care for Prince Edward County.”