Astellas Pharma Canada partners with Wish of a Lifetime Canada to fulfill the lifelong wishes of Canadian seniors

Through their stories, this initiative aims to celebrate and honour the lives of older Canadians

MARKHAM, ON, July 5, 2018 /CNW/ - Aligned with a strong commitment to making a difference in the community, Astellas Pharma Canada, Inc. (APCA), the Canadian subsidiary of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma, Inc., today announced a partnership with Wish of a Lifetime Canada™ (WOLC) – an independent charity focused on changing the perception of aging by fulfilling life-enriching wishes of older adults. The organization is built on the belief that seniors should be respected, honoured, and aided in our society.

"Partnering with Wish of a Lifetime Canada was a natural fit for us given our focus on finding and responding to areas in our community where we can make the most impact to improve lives and positively influence our society," says Steve Sabus, General Manager, Astellas Pharma Canada. "We know that loneliness and isolation are conditions that often affect seniors. Through donor support like ours, the wishes help relieve these feelings by providing seniors with emotional and psychological support."

The wishes can be as diverse as the seniors they honour, and include: reconnecting seniors with loved ones, helping older adults renew and celebrate their passions, fulfilling their lifelong dreams, commemorating their service to country and community, and more. During APCA's recent Annual Employee Meeting, employees participated in a corporate social responsibility activity to show their support for the seniors that the company is currently sponsoring. During this activity, employees decorated photo frames, wrote postcards and created personalized travel guides for these seniors, which will help to enhance their upcoming wish experiences.

"We are thankful to Astellas Pharma Canada for their support of Wish of a Lifetime Canada," says Tom Wagenlander, Executive Director, Wish of a Lifetime Canada. "The wishes they support will go a long way to connecting seniors with people, and their purpose and passions to help them lead more vibrant and purposeful lives. We hope that through their compelling stories we will help improve the way seniors are viewed and valued."

Wish of a Lifetime Canada Recipients
As part of the partnership, APCA will fulfill several wishes for Canadian seniors. Sponsorship of each wish includes the entire experience, including all logistics (airfare, hotel, meals, ground transportation, incidentals), all planning and research, all content creation and capture (photos/videos, wish stories etc.).

Among the wishes that are currently being sponsored:

Patricia (aged 76)
Winnipeg, Manitoba
As a retired Classified Ad Clerk for the Winnipeg Free Press and two-time cancer survivor, Patricia hopes to finally bring closure to a painful chapter of her life. After being discharged from the Canadian military, her father relocated the family from Guildford, England to his hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba when Patricia was just four-years-old. This experience left a profound and life-long impact on Patricia. At the end of July, she will travel with her daughter to Guildford to visit her childhood home and reconnect with family she left behind as a toddler.

Kerry (aged 64) and Anne Marie (aged 71)
Sydney and Paradise, Nova Scotia
More than 50 years after the devastating loss of their beloved father, Kerry and his sister Anne Marie will visit his grave to pay their long-awaited final respects and say their goodbyes. Their late father, a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force stationed in Germany, died unexpectedly after suffering a heart attack at the age of 41. Due to their young age at the time, Kerry and Anne Marie were not permitted to attend his funeral and were only able to later see his grave for a few minutes. This fall, they will finally fulfill their lifelong wish together.

About Astellas Pharma Canada, Inc.
Astellas Pharma Canada, Inc., headquartered in Markham, ON, is a Canadian affiliate of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. Astellas is dedicated to improving the health of people around the world through the provision of innovative and reliable pharmaceutical products. In Canada, Astellas has an intense commercial focus in the following therapeutic areas – Urology, Immunology, Infectious Disease and Oncology.

For more information about Astellas Pharma Canada, Inc., please visit the corporate website:  www.astellas.ca. Follow us @AstellasCA.

About Wish of a Lifetime Canada
Wish of a Lifetime Canada's™ mission is to shift the way society views and values our oldest generations by fulfilling seniors' dreams and sharing their stories to inspire those of all ages. The U.S. charity Wish of a Lifetime was founded in 2008 in Denver, Colorado. Wish of a Lifetime Canada launched as an independent organization in Canada in September of 2015. The organization envisions a world in which society embraces aging and the inherent wisdom that accompanies it, where seniors are celebrated for their accomplishments and sacrifices, and where intergenerational connections are part of our daily lives. To learn more about the organization or to help fulfill a senior's Wish, visit www.wishofalifetime.ca.

SOURCE Astellas Pharma Canada, Inc.

Contacts for inquiries or additional information: Tarsis Lopez, Office: 224-205-8833, Cell: 847-224-8374, [email protected]