Southlake doctors strut their stuff for local cancer care

November 6, 2025 · 0 Comments

Giving back was fashion-forward on Thursday evening as Aurora and Newmarket came together for the semi-annual Whiskey, Wine & MR Menswear fashion show, benefiting local cancer care at Southlake Health.

Hosted by cancer survivor and local business leader Mike Rathke, owner of the Industrial Parkway South-based MR Menswear, the October 30 event saw eight Southlake physicians hit the catwalk in MR Menswear fashions, raising a whopping $140,000 for the Southlake Regional Cancer Centre in the process.

“A heartfelt thank you to everyone here tonight supporting this incredible event,” said Rathke, following a moving video featuring his mother, wife, and two daughters, recalling his cancer journey and the importance of having top-quality cancer care close to home. “I’m so proud of how far this show has come since we first began in 2016, the impact of all of us here together – our guests, our sponsors, and our models.”

Emceeing this year’s fashion show once again was Steve Hinder, who described Rathke as “stronger than any athlete or bodybuilder out there – he’s my hero.”

“Mike talked a bit about the community that we’re in and I just have to add one more thing: the Southlake Family is different,” said Hinder, Co-Chair of Southlake’s Philanthropy Cabinet. “The doctors are giving up their time tonight, together with our Physicians’ Council…. It’s because they know it takes all of us to provide the best care possible to our patients and our loved ones, and that we’re truly in this together.

“We all need one another to be successful in this hospital. It’s a very unique relationship, I believe, at Southlake, and one we’re all extremely grateful for.”

This was echoed by Jennifer Ritter, President of the Southlake Health Foundation, who said the auditorium at Newmarket’s NewRoads Performing Arts Centre was “filled with joy and generosity.”

“Sincere gratitude to Mike Rathke for just pouring his heart and his soul into everything that he does,” said Ritter. “Mike is a true community champion, a pillar in our community, and an inspiration to so many of us. Mike, thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts – we’re so grateful. It makes such an impact for so many other people who came to Southlake for treatment at our Cancer Centre, which is among the top three cancer centres in Ontario, something we should all be proud of.

“Mike, this event tonight makes such a great impact.”

While there were plenty of smiles and laughter to go around as the physicians took their turn on the runway, perhaps the most fun job of the evening went to Dr. Paul Woods, President & CEO of Southlake Health who had the honour of presenting tongue-in-cheek awards to the models, including Southlake’s Next Top Model, which went to Dr. Philip Butler.

“The best part of my job is being able to go into work every day and to work alongside these eight guys,” said Woods of the physician-models, “and there are hundreds of colleagues in our staff each and every day. It’s truly a remarkable place to work. Thank you for putting it out there tonight, but thank you even more for what you do each and every day for the people we serve.”

The evening’s winners:

Atrial Fabulation Award: Dr. Christopher Overgaard

Bedside Manner Runway Glamour Award: Dr. Danyal Saeed

Paging Dr. Runway Award: Dr. Philip Buckler

Born to Slay Award: Dr. Matthew Laskin

Code Blue Steel Award: Dr. Chris Coutinho

No Complications Award: Dr. John Randle

Smooth Operator Award: Dr. Lukasz Boba

Veteran of Vogue Award: Dr. Peter Anglin

Southlake’s Next Top Model: Dr. Philip Buckler

By Brock Weir
Editor
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter