13 | durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, December 15, 2023 | Steve Slack knows that one of the best gifts you can give someone experiencing cancer is hope. About 18 months ago, he was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer at the age of 48. "I was shell-shocked," he says. "Cancer wasn't on my radar at all." Slack was told he had maybe three years to live. He says the worst day of his life wasn't receiving that diagnosis -- it was breaking the news to his two teenage sons. With his wife and sons by his side, Slack decided to fight. But not just for himself. He became an advocate for early cancer detection and his family became part of the Our Cancer Campaign, which aims to raise $20 million to improve cancer care in Durham region. "Tonight for me is all about hope," he told a crowd gathered Nov. 28 at the launch of the "Sky Full of Stars" pop-up planetarium, a new holiday fundraiser for the Durham Regional Cancer Centre. "You're giving an amazing gift of hope to families in Durham who are experiencing cancer." The Oshawa Centre is hosting "Sky Full of Stars" until Dec. 24 with 100 per cent of proceeds going to the cancer centre. "We have a long-term partnership with Lakeridge Health Foundation, we've raised over $200,000 for them over the last couple of years. They're our go-to charity in the community," says Kalya Perez, marketing manager for the Oshawa Centre. The pop-up planetarium sees visitors step inside a dome for a unique view of stars and planets. Visitors help fill the planetarium sky with stars, as each donation results in the addition of a personalized star with their name or the name of a loved one. "One in two Canadians will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime, and that's a really scary statistic. You can talk to anybody around you and everybody has been touched by cancer or someone close to them has," says Daina Robinson, director of marketing and communications for Lakeridge Health Foundation. "We have about 7,000 new people who come to the cancer centre every single year to be supported by those services. It's very important to understand that we have a cancer centre close to home that's providing expert care to those families in Durham region." Tickets for "Sky Full of Stars" start at $10 per person, visit oshawacentre.com/ events/sky-full-of-stars for more information. Other holiday features at the Oshawa Centre include visits with Santa at Santa's Snowy Valley and a volunteer-run gift wrapping kiosk that accepts cash donations for Hearth Place Cancer Support Centre. POP-UP PLANETARIUM RAISING FUNDS FOR CANCER CENTRE The Oshawa Centre is hosting "Sky Full of Stars," a pop-up planetarium from Nov. 29 to Dec. 24. All proceeds from the event will be donated to the cancer centre at Lakeridge Health. Susie Kockerscheidt/Metroland JILLIAN FOLLERT jfoller t@durhamregion.com SUPPORTING 'SKY FULL OF STARS' GIVES 'AMAZING GIFT OF HOPE TO FAMILIES IN DURHAM WHO ARE EXPERIENCING CANCER' After a decade of service as Lakeridge Health's chief of staff, Dr. Tony Stone will be succeeded by Dr. Randy Wax. Wax's appointment will become effective on Dec. 1. In a Nov. 23 news release announcing the appointment, Cordelia Clarke Julien, chair of the Lakeridge Health board of trustees, thanked Stone for his 10 years of service. "Lakeridge Health has greatly benefited from Dr. Stone's leadership, his active role in the community and the respect and relationships that he has earned and developed across Durham region. His steadfast commitment to people, both internal and external to Lakeridge Health, is immeasurable and his impact will be felt for generations to come," she said. Stone will continue to remain a part of Lakeridge Health as a privileged staff member. Wax joined Lakeridge Health in 2010 as section chief of critical care, helping to evolve the service into an expanded regional academic critical care site in Oshawa and led the formation of a multi-site department at the Ajax-Pickering and Bowmanville hospitals. Most recently, Wax served as the medical director of academic affairs, as well as president of the medical staff association, having previously served on the executive. He is also the Central East sub-region lead for critical care in conjunction with Ontario Health. In addition, he has worked as a transport medicine physician with Ornge, Ontario's air ambulance and critical care transport service. Within academia, Wax is an associate professor in the department of critical care medicine and the regional director of clinical education with the Faculty of Health Sciences at Queen's University. He also serves as an assistant professor in the department of medicine at the University of Toronto and has held a faculty role at Ontario Tech University. As well, Wax is an active researcher and has lectured extensively. He has published numerous papers and book chapters on medical education, healthcare simulation, cardiac arrest, septic shock, disaster management and end- of-life care. One of his papers on COVID-19 patient care has been downloaded more than 100,000 times around the globe and cited in more than 1,000 research papers. Wax has received specialty certifications in internal medicine, critical care medicine and emergency medical services. He has also been inducted as a fellow of the American College of Critical Care Medicine. He has received numerous awards from the Society of Critical Care Medicine for his leadership in education, clinical care and international disaster management. The Canadian Association for Medical Education also selected him to receive the 2018 Certificate of Merit Award for his commitment to medical education. "Dr. Wax is a highly accomplished and respected physician in our Durham region communities and beyond, as well as a recognized regional and provincial leader in critical care and medical education and we are ecstatic that he will be joining us in this new capacity," said Julien. DR. RANDY WAX TAPPED AS LAKERIDGE'S NEW CHIEF OF STAFF NEWS HE WILL SUCCEED DR. TONY STONE, WHO HELD THE POST FOR 10 YEARS Dr. Randy Wax was announced as the new chief of staff at Lakeridge Health on Nov. 23, replacing Dr. Tony Stone. Lakeridge Health Facebook photo