Langley, BC – Businessman Balraj Mann and his family are helping to transform the lives of people suffering from chronic pain with a $100,000 donation to the Pain Clinic at Langley Memorial Hospital.
The announcement was made on February 11 at Langley’s Coast Hotel & Convention Centre, where the Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation celebrated donors at the fourth annual Giving Hearts Gala.
The new funding will help the pain management team replace aging equipment that threatened to slow down treatment and led to waiting lists as long as three months.
“Patients with chronic pain are referred by their doctors, but there’s a long waiting list for the pain management services, because equipment wears quickly with so much use.
“With less working equipment, our specialists have to work slower, and the waiting lists grow even longer,” said Heather Scott, Executive Director of Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation. “Thanks to the generosity of the Mann family, hundreds of patients will find relief sooner.”
The family dedicated the gift to the memory of Satnam Kaur Mann, Balraj’s mother, who passed away last year.
One in five Canadians suffers from chronic pain, which can impair nearly every aspect of their lives, from employment and finances, to their social and family dynamics and emotional well-being. Visits to LMH’s Pain Clinic involve detailed exams, and diagnostic tests with four clinicians, who help patients manage their pain through Injections, medication, therapy and self-management programs.
“The Mann family’s generous donation allows me to double the number of patients I see, because we’ll be able to acquire new state of the art equipment to enhance their safety, and help to alleviate their suffering,” says Langley Memorial Hospital anesthetist and pain management specialist Dr. Sri Kollipara. The Mann family has a long history of helping Langley residents through philanthropy. Balraj Mann co- founded The Giving Hearts Gala committee with Langley philanthropist Manjit Gill, and the Mann family businesses, including the BM Group of Companies, have generously sponsored the Giving Hearts Gala since its inception.
Since 2019, Giving Hearts Gala guests have raised $905,000 for advances that make an impact on the lives of Langley residents every day, including $200,000 to help fund the Martini Family Emergency Centre and MRI Suite; $150,000 for wheelchairs and walkers to aid patient mobility, and another $215,000 to fund lifesaving care for vulnerable newborns through a new Giraffe Carestation for Langley’s Maternity unit.
