Donors
Donors to IU Health give for many different reason--to express gratitude for excellent care, to help other people in their communities, to fund the future of healthcare. But all are motivated by the knowledge that all gifts to IU Health can literally save lives.
Read on for donor stories.
The note, in the neat handwriting of a mechanical engineer, simply said, “Rosemary and I will never be able to thank you enough for everything that you have done for us.” Enclosed was a $25,000 check.
After years of battling lung disease, Joe turned to IU Health Methodist Hospital for an organ transplant at the recommendation of doctors he had seen in Ohio and his home state of Kentucky. The surgery took nearly 12 hours, and Joe spent 28 days in the hospital, with kidney complications that required a brief time on dialysis. He completed his therapy in the Center of Life for Thoracic Transplant (COLTT).
Even before Joe was discharged, the couple had discussed how to show their gratitude. “This whole IU Health facility is unbelievable—the best I’ve ever seen, from the housekeeping staff to the surgeons,” said Joe. The couple’s gift funds a home spirometry program, so patients can report their lung capacity via their cell phones without having to leave home. Grateful patients have many options for giving back, to support specific programs or their local hospitals. Give now.
Transplant patient and wife give back
The note, in the neat handwriting of a mechanical engineer, simply said, “Rosemary and I will never be able to thank you enough for everything that you have done for us.” Enclosed was a $25,000 check.
After years of battling lung disease, Joe turned to IU Health Methodist Hospital for an organ transplant at the recommendation of doctors he had seen in Ohio and his home state of Kentucky. The surgery took nearly 12 hours, and Joe spent 28 days in the hospital, with kidney complications that required a brief time on dialysis. He completed his therapy in the Center of Life for Thoracic Transplant (COLTT).
Even before Joe was discharged, the couple had discussed how to show their gratitude. “This whole IU Health facility is unbelievable—the best I’ve ever seen, from the housekeeping staff to the surgeons,” said Joe. The couple’s gift funds a home spirometry program, so patients can report their lung capacity via their cell phones without having to leave home. Grateful patients have many options for giving back, to support specific programs or their local hospitals. Give now.
Charles Boling, a U.S. Air Force veteran and retired history teacher, was already experiencing Parkinson’s Disease, when he suffered a crisis with kidney disease in 2016. His daughter Elizabeth and her siblings Daniel and Malinda sought help from IU Health Bloomington Hospice.
“Hospice saved our lives,” said Elizabeth. For 20 months, she said, hospice staff provided comfort, solace and strength at every stage of this uncertain and exhausting journey.
“The folks who worked with us clearly cared about my father,” she said. “They talked to him as a person, not just another sick old man. It was clear that they cared about the quality of his life down to the last day of it.” When their father passed away, the siblings gifted $10,000 from his estate to Bloomington Hospice.
Charles Boling died with dignity, and his children have ensured that others can do the same. Give now to support palliative care and hospice services in your community.
Thankful family supports hospice
Charles Boling, a U.S. Air Force veteran and retired history teacher, was already experiencing Parkinson’s Disease, when he suffered a crisis with kidney disease in 2016. His daughter Elizabeth and her siblings Daniel and Malinda sought help from IU Health Bloomington Hospice.
“Hospice saved our lives,” said Elizabeth. For 20 months, she said, hospice staff provided comfort, solace and strength at every stage of this uncertain and exhausting journey.
“The folks who worked with us clearly cared about my father,” she said. “They talked to him as a person, not just another sick old man. It was clear that they cared about the quality of his life down to the last day of it.” When their father passed away, the siblings gifted $10,000 from his estate to Bloomington Hospice.
Charles Boling died with dignity, and his children have ensured that others can do the same. Give now to support palliative care and hospice services in your community.
A busy grandmother and wife, Elaine Hoffman split her time between homes in California and Indiana. When her physicians in California said she needed an urgent liver transplant, she faced a wait time of nearly a year because of her rare blood type. A friend in Indiana suggested she reach out to IU Health transplant. No one with her blood type was on Indiana’s wait list, and 10 days later, a donor was found.
Grateful for her care, and now a permanent resident of Indiana, Hoffman has included a bequest to IU Health in her estate plans. She said, “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for IU Health.”
Planned giving allows you to align your estate plans with your desire to support IU Health. Planned gifts can take many forms: bequests in your will, gift annuities, charitable remainder and lead trusts, endowed gifts, and more. To explore what’s best for you, contact Jordan Brewer, Director of Development and Gift Planning, who will work closely with you and your advisors. Contact him by email or phone 317.962.5965.
Grateful patient plans her legacy
A busy grandmother and wife, Elaine Hoffman split her time between homes in California and Indiana. When her physicians in California said she needed an urgent liver transplant, she faced a wait time of nearly a year because of her rare blood type. A friend in Indiana suggested she reach out to IU Health transplant. No one with her blood type was on Indiana’s wait list, and 10 days later, a donor was found.
Grateful for her care, and now a permanent resident of Indiana, Hoffman has included a bequest to IU Health in her estate plans. She said, “I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for IU Health.”
Planned giving allows you to align your estate plans with your desire to support IU Health. Planned gifts can take many forms: bequests in your will, gift annuities, charitable remainder and lead trusts, endowed gifts, and more. To explore what’s best for you, contact Jordan Brewer, Director of Development and Gift Planning, who will work closely with you and your advisors. Contact him by email or phone 317.962.5965.
His work bridged the gap between classes and cultures. Now, his legacy bridges the gap between patients and care.
Dr. Gerald Suttles, a pioneer of urban sociology, devoted his career to studying inner-city class distinctions, gang culture and societal implications of race, poverty and community. During his tenure at the University of Chicago, he met his future wife, Dr. Kirsten Gronbjerg, herself a leading researcher in the field of sociology, particularly in nonprofit and public sector relations. Together, the two settled in Bloomington, where Gronbjerg serves as a professor at Indiana University, and Suttles spent his retirement as an adjunct professor of sociology.
During this time, Suttles suffered a major cardiac event and was taken to IU Health Methodist Hospital for bypass surgery. During his recovery back home in Bloomington, Suttles noted that the availability of resources afforded him excellent care. He also noticed that other patients faced barriers, such as lack of insurance and difficulty with transportation, that made it difficult for them to receive the care they needed. After decades spent studying gaps in the urban class system, he recognized gaps in healthcare for people in differing circumstances.
Suttles died in 2017, and a gift from his estate went to IU Health Bloomington Hospital’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, helping patients access resources and care. Gronbjerg worked closely with IU Health Foundation to honor her husband’s wishes, and serve as a tribute to a life spent researching, analyzing and working toward greater equality and understanding disparities.
Sociologist’s legacy bridges healthcare gaps
His work bridged the gap between classes and cultures. Now, his legacy bridges the gap between patients and care.
Dr. Gerald Suttles, a pioneer of urban sociology, devoted his career to studying inner-city class distinctions, gang culture and societal implications of race, poverty and community. During his tenure at the University of Chicago, he met his future wife, Dr. Kirsten Gronbjerg, herself a leading researcher in the field of sociology, particularly in nonprofit and public sector relations. Together, the two settled in Bloomington, where Gronbjerg serves as a professor at Indiana University, and Suttles spent his retirement as an adjunct professor of sociology.
During this time, Suttles suffered a major cardiac event and was taken to IU Health Methodist Hospital for bypass surgery. During his recovery back home in Bloomington, Suttles noted that the availability of resources afforded him excellent care. He also noticed that other patients faced barriers, such as lack of insurance and difficulty with transportation, that made it difficult for them to receive the care they needed. After decades spent studying gaps in the urban class system, he recognized gaps in healthcare for people in differing circumstances.
Suttles died in 2017, and a gift from his estate went to IU Health Bloomington Hospital’s Cardiac Rehabilitation Program, helping patients access resources and care. Gronbjerg worked closely with IU Health Foundation to honor her husband’s wishes, and serve as a tribute to a life spent researching, analyzing and working toward greater equality and understanding disparities.
