Yvette Bonny

In 1970, at a time when most physicians were men, Bonny was engaged by the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, becoming one the first black women doctors to practice in Quebec. It was in April 1980 that she performed one of the first bone marrow transplants on a child. (The first being John Melbrew of Montreal, in 1979) The patient, Sonia Sasseville, later became a nurse at the same hospital. The operation proved to be a significant development in the treatment of children's ailments such as leukaemia and sickle cell anaemia. Heading the unit until 1998, Bonny herself performed all the subsequent bone marrow transplants on children.^[1]

Bonny has taught medicine at the Université de Montréal from 1972, becoming a clinical professor in 1980. She has contributed to research on serious afflictions for children including leukaemia, cancer and drepanocytosis.^[1]

Bonny was married to the geographer and Arctic explorer Pierre Gadbois with whom she had a daughter, Nathalie. Gadbois died in 2010.^[5] In addition to her professional commitments, she supported young people from different cultural communities living in Montreal. These included young Haitian immigrants. She has served on the board of Entraide bénévole Kouzin Kouzin’, an organization which strives to integrate young people into Quebec society. She has also contributed to Leucan in its quest to support children suffering from cancer and their families.^[1]