Page 22 - An Innovation Spirit ...

Inside
the
mind of
Munk

In this Q&A, the Peter
Munk Cardiac Centre’s
namesake talks about
why he’s given so much to
cardiac research, his own
heart surgery and how his
support for the centre will
continue after he’s gone

By Bryan Borzykowski

When Peter Munk donated $5-million
to Toronto General Hospital for
heart-related research in 1993, the
legendary Canadian businessman
never thought he’d need to avail the
services of the cardiac centre that now
bears his name. But there he was, in
November 2014, at the Peter Munk
Cardiac Centre (PMCC), undergoing
a procedure to unblock the main valve
in his heart. If this were a few years
ago, Mr. Munk would have had to
have open heart surgery and stay in
the hospital for weeks, but, thanks to
the $65-million or so he’s donated to
the centre over the last 22 years, a new
procedure was developed that allowed
him to leave the hospital within three
days.

The founder and chairman emeritus
of Barrick Gold Corporation shares
his perspective on philanthropy, heart
disease and what will happen to his
donations after he dies.

20 Peter Munk Cardiac Centre