TORONTO — Dr. Larry Librach, director of the Temmy Latner Centre for Palliative Care at Mount Sinai Hospital, is being honoured by Paul Penna Downtown Jewish Day School at its annual gala, to be held June 7 at the Miles Nadal JCC.

Dr. Larry Librach

Librach, 64, is president of the Canadian Hospice and Palliative Care Association and director of the division of palliative care in the department of family and community medicine at the University of Toronto.

He was the physician leader of the national Educating Future Physicians for Palliative and End-of-Life Care Project (EFPPEC), which introduced curriculum in palliative and end-of-life care to Canada’s 17 medical schools.

Librach, who has two grandchildren at Paul Penna, said that being recognized by the school is a tremendous honour.

“I’ve gotten other awards, but this is at the top. To be recognized by the community is great. When they approached me, I was speechless for the first time.”

He said that when he was a young family physician at Toronto Western Hospital in the 1970s, he witnessed patients dying in pain. “We didn’t know what to do for them. I [remember clearly] one patient who died in agony before my eyes.”

His “world changed” he said, when he heard a talk by Dr. Balfour Mount, recognized as the person who brought palliative care to Canada.

“When I heard him speak, the clouds parted, and the sun shone down. He started me on my career [in palliative care.] I formed a palliative care team at Toronto Western Hospital”  – he moved to Mount Sinai in 1989 – “and I am dedicated to helping dying patients, and their families.”

Working in palliative care is spiritually uplifting, Librach said.

“When I’m with people who are reaching for purpose and meaning, it gives my life meaning. I’ve learned that my life cannot be all about work. I have to have time for my family, my friends, and for nature. [My career choice] has given me balance in my life.”

At the end of their lives, he said, people are up front about most things, “and many tell me about their regrets. Palliative care is not just about managing pain. We help grieving families, and we listen to patients.”

For information on the gala, call 416-928-3537, ext. 136, or e-mail [email protected].