GIFT FROM THE HEART WILL BENEFIT MANY
View as PDF here: El-Baz Gift Highlight Connecting 2015
A special celebration was held to dedicate the Basil and Farida El-Baz Center for Multiple Sclerosis and Devic’s Disease at Mount Auburn Hospital. The Center was established through the generosity of Basil El-Baz, who made a commitment to honor his wife, Farida. Mr. El-Baz’s gift funded a world-class, patient-centered neurology center specializing in the treatment of multiple sclerosis and Devic’s Disease and will support the ongoing work of the Center.
Devic’s Disease, also known as neuromyelitis optica, is an autoimmune disorder in which immune system cells and antibodies mistakenly attack and destroy cells in the optic nerves and the spinal cord and is estimated to affect 4,000 patients in the US and a half million people worldwide.
Above: Ribbon Cutting Commemorating the Opening of the Basil and Farida El-Baz Center for Multiple Sclerosis and Devic’s Disease; Guy Rochman, MD, CEO at WorldPath Health; Farida Khamis El-Baz, Basil El-Baz and Linda Buchwald, MD
The El-Baz Center, under the direction of Medical Director, Linda Buchwald, MD, will strengthen the hospital’s nationally-recognized multiple sclerosis clinical program and will include offi ces and treatment areas for physicians specializing in Devic’s Disease and other neurological disorders. A conference room for meetings between caregivers and patients and their families was incorporated into the final design.
Friends and family, physicians and government officials were on hand as Dr. Buchwald cut the ceremonial ribbon to open the El-Baz Center. Cambridge Mayor David Maher and State Senator Patricia Jehlen presented citations to commemorate the special occasion.
“We are very grateful to Mr. El-Baz for his magnifi cent gift,” stated Jeanette Clough, President and CEO of Mount Auburn Hospital. “Thanks to him, the Center will be able to continue its important work today and for years to come. So many patients and families will benefi t from his generosity.”
Left to right: Basil El-Baz, Farida Khamis El-Baz, Linda Buchwald, MD, Medical Director of El-Baz Center; Jeanette Clough, President and CEO; David Maher, Mayor, City of Cambridge and Patricia Jehlen, State Senator
Mr. El-Baz, a Harvard educated Egyptian entrepreneur and philanthropist, spoke from the heart about what motivated his philanthropy. He thanked Dr. Buchwald and her colleagues for the care they provided. “Thanks to you, my beautiful wife is here today and my son has his mother. What I have given is very small in comparison to what Mount Auburn Hospital has done for my family.”
“We are all inspired by this outstanding philanthropic commitment,” said Guy Rochman, MD, Mount Auburn surgeon and Chairman and CEO of WorldPath Health, which provides health care access for international patients. “It is made in Farida’s honor but also acknowledges Mount Auburn Hospital, its excellent caregivers and the important work they do for countless patients.”
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