Following the Tragically Hip’s Man Machine Poem tour, fans of the band have raised over $1 million for brain cancer research, according to the Canadian Cancer Society and the Sunnybrook Foundation. As Exclaim! reports, spokespeople for Toronto’s Sunnybrook Foundation have revealed that approximately $800,000 has been donated so far to the Gord Downie Fund for Brain Cancer Research, a fund that was created after Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie announced that he had been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.
To add to that amount, the Canadian Cancer Society’s Dr. Sian Bevan estimates that $400,000 in donations will go towards Kingston, Ontario’s Canadian Cancer Trials Group which “carries out clinical trials in cancer therapy, supportive care and prevention across Canada and internationally.” That money came from ticket sales from the Man Machine Poem tour, as well as from viewing parties of the Hip’s Kingston concert and various other related events.
“At Sunnybrook and at cancer centres across the globe, we are making important advances in brain tumour treatment, and support like this helps us continue our work,” Sunnybrook’s Dr. James Perry said in a statement.
While the members of the Hip are currently taking a rest, post-tour, Downie has just announced two more live shows next month in support of his upcoming Secret Path, a solo album, graphic novel and CBC TV special telling the story of Indigenous boy, Chanie Wenjack. (Read more about it here.) Downie will perform at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa on Oct. 18 and at Roy Thomson Hall on Oct. 21. Proceeds from those shows will go to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
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