This Chinese New Year, Kin’s Farm Market President Kin Wah Leung is welcoming the Year of the Ox with a unique twist on an ancient tradition with a donation of $100,000 to VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation to benefit the Liver Diseases Program at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH).

Gifts of red packets containing money (lai shi in Cantonese or hóng bāo in Manadrin) are one of the many rituals associated with the fifteen-day-long celebration of Chinese New Year. Traditionally, red envelopes of money are given by married couples or the elderly to unmarried juniors or from parents to children to bring good luck and prosperity in the year ahead. In a new approach to this old custom, Mr. Leung is making a gift to VGH in honour of his father, Mr. Chie Yau Leung.

“My father is a man who loves his family, loves his work, loves people, and loves life,” said Mr. Kin Wah Leung. “He is a great inspiration to me and to everyone around him. He has always led by example and taught me to work hard, to be humble, and to be generous. Today, I am very fortunate to be able to make a substantial contribution to such an important cause, so I could not dedicate this gift to anybody else, but in my father’s honour.”

The Liver Diseases Program at VGH delivers state-of-the art patient care, conducts research and delivers educational programs on liver diseases. There are over 100 different forms of liver disease, with chronic hepatitis B and C being the most common in B.C. It’s estimated that 40,000 to 60,000 British Columbians have chronic hepatitis B, and approximately 60,000 to 100,000 suffer from chronic hepatitis C. VGH is a leader for the treatment and management of liver diseases like hepatitis B, which affects thousands of British Columbians of Asian descent.

“Donor support has been critical to helping our team make improvements to patient care and carry out research and clinical trials of hepatitis drugs to give more patients access to new treatments,” said Dr. Eric Yoshida, Head of the B.C. Hepatitis Program and Head of the Division of Gastroenterology at VGH and UBC Hospital. “People in B.C. with viral hepatitis and liver disease will benefit greatly from this kind gift both now and in the future.”

“This gift in honour of Mr. Leung’s father is a special one, given the importance of thanking one's ancestors during this time of year,” said Mr. Ron Dumouchelle, President & CEO, VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation. “We’re grateful for the generosity of Kin’s Farm Market and Kin Wah Leung and for their commitment to the health of people from across our province.”

“Promoting healthy lifestyles to our communities is one of our number priorities, and we are very fortunate to have a world-class health care institution like VGH right in our backyard,” said Mr. Kin Wah Leung. “We are proud to be able to advance specialized care for liver disease and we are pleased that our contribution will help patient care, research and prevention in those areas.”