Lakhwir Boparan has lived through every mom’s worst nightmare. In 2008, her 28-year-old son was involved in a terrible car accident. On life support and suffering from a traumatic brain injury, doctors thought he might not ever walk again, let alone recover. “It was a long, long road to recovery,” says Lakhwir.

“The doctors and specialists at both VGH and the GF Strong Rehabilitation Centre helped save my son’s life. How do you repay someone for that?”

Juggy Sihota-Chahil remembers asking herself a similar question after her active, healthy mom suffered a heart attack five years ago.

“It was the worst moment of my life,” says Juggy. “The experience was traumatic and emotional for our whole family. But slowly Mom got better. We’ll never forget the amazing care she received at VGH.”

Both Lakhwir and Juggy were inspired to pay it back. As it happens, both are proud employees of TELUS in Vancouver. TELUS is committed to giving its employees and retirees a unique and easy way to support their communities and the causes they care about through the company’s workplace giving program. Employees’ charitable donations are automatically deducted through payroll. The best part? When an employee makes a donation, TELUS matches it, doubling the donation’s impact.

For Lakhwir and Juggy, the decision to significantly impact patient care by donating to VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation was an easy one. “Because TELUS matches donations,” says Juggy, “I know my gift will have an even bigger impact. It’s a win-win for everyone.”