About US

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Claudio DiGirolamo has been in Executive Management for Healthcare Information Technology for over 30 years and joined the Board of Directors in January 2019. He lives in York Region with his wife and three daughters. 

In July of 2018, one of his daughters, who was 23 at the time, developed a high fever to go along with swollen lymph glands in her throat. She went to the ER in New York and after 2 days was admitted to ICU where 2 days later was diagnosed with HLH. The early diagnosis and immediate application of the HLH-94 protocol saved her life and she is back in the United States completing her post graduate studies.

Claudio wants to offer his experiences to parents of adult children suffering from HLH and help them navigate the complicated care program and offer support in their experience.

Dr. James A. Whitlock is the Division Head and Women’s Auxiliary Millennium Chair in Haematology/Oncology and the Director of the Garron Family Cancer Centre at The Hospital for Sick Children, Senior Associate Scientist in the Child Health Evaluative Sciences Program at SickKids Research Institute, and Professor of Paediatrics at the University of Toronto. 

Dr. Whitlock’s research interests include the biology and treatment of childhood acute leukemias, the development of new drugs for the treatment of childhood cancers, and the biology and treatment of histiocytic disorders. He has served as the Vice-Chair for New Agents and Relapse studies for the Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Committee of the Children’s Oncology Group, the lead investigator for an international phase I trial for relapsed T-cell ALL (NECTAR) through the Therapeutic Advances in Childhood Leukemia (TACL) consortium, and as the Chair of TACL’s Steering & Prioritization Committee. 

He is a Past President of the Histiocyte Society, an international scientific organization for histiocytic disorders, and the current Chair of C17, the Canadian Council for Childhood Cancers and Blood Disorders.

Marlene first got involved with HAC after her best friend's daughter was diagnosed in 1992 with LCH.

After witnessing the physical and emotional toil this diagnosis brought to her dear friend's family, she realized there was little information or support for parents and children of this rare disease in Canada. Marlene decided that joining the HAC board would be a beautiful way to honour her goddaughter. 

Having worked as a corporate law clerk for 25 years, Marlene assists the board with corporate secretarial duties and compliance matters. 

Histiocytosis has been a part of Aprile's life since 1992 when her first born was diagnosed with LCH at 18 months old. She fought a courageous battle with the great support of Sick Kids Hospital until the LCH won at the age of 3.  She vowed to make a difference in her memory. 

She has been involved with the Association on and off for the past 24 years. A lot has changed over the years – internet, technology, research advancement, cell phones, but one thing remains the same – finding a cure for all Histiocytic diseases. 

On behalf of the Histiocytosis Association of Canada, we would like to thank Aprile for her dedication and volunteer time she spent as President.  We appreciate everything she has done and look forward to her continued involvement.

Tracy Eckhardt is parent of Histiocytosis warrior, a passionate patient advocate, and works as a compliance manager in the private insurance industry.   She joined the board in January 2023. She lives in Waterloo Region with her spouse and has two young adult children.

In September 2001, her son was rushed to the hospital with failure to thrive, difficulty breathing and a severe rash covering his body. He was transferred to Hospital for Sick Kids in Toronto where he was eventually diagnosed with Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis in his lungs, skin, bone, liver, spleen, jaw. He relapsed numerous times over the last 24 years with the most recent being in his Brain and Central Nervous System. He has since aged out of the paediatric program and now facing the challenges of adult complex care in a community setting.

Tracy is passionate about raising awareness about Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis with a particular focus on aging out of the paediatric care system. She joined the HAC to help be a voice for others on this journey.