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WHY IS IN OUR DNA.
Elizabeth Comper’s legacy will
fund the development of new
treatments for patients with
rare blood disorders
E
lizabeth Comper lived her life with the
confidence that she could make a difference.
She was a teacher, and she directed her
energy to a wide range of issues needing her
support, including geriatric facilities for the Chinese
community and services for single mothers in the First
Nations community.
In 2012, Elizabeth was diagnosed with myelofibrosis, a
rare blood disorder that alters the ability of the bone
marrow to produce normal blood cells. Myelofibrosis
belongs to a group of blood disorders referred to
collectively as Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPNs).
Before Elizabeth died in June 2014, she and her
husband Tony decided to make a gift of $2.4 million to
further research on MPNs.
“Because MPNs are rare disorders, there are very few
programs dedicated to their study around the world,”
explains Dr. Vikas Gupta, Elizabeth’s physician and a
researcher who has gained international recognition
for his ground-breaking work on myelofibrosis.
“Thanks to Elizabeth and Tony Comper, this will be the
first such program in Canada.”
There are three classical
Myeloproliferative
Neoplasms (MPNs):
• polycythemia vera (PV)
• essential
thrombocythemia (ET)
• myelofibrosis
Myelofibrosis is the rarest
and severest of the MPNs.
It is estimated that
there are 1500 to 1700
patients affected with
myelofibrosis in Canada.