Giving back in major ways

After experiencing firsthand the vital role of Oak Valley Health’s Markham Stouffville Hospital (MSH) in her family’s health journey, Theresa has devoted her time, energy, and philanthropy to ensure the hospital continues to provide exceptional care for future generations.

Quality care close to home

Theresa and her parents moved to Markham in 1973. “At that time, the Ninth Line was just a two-lane dirt road and there was no hospital in Markham,” Theresa recalls.

After initially moving away for university, Theresa returned to Markham in 2006. At that time, her father was undergoing cancer treatment at MSH. Fortunately, he made a full recovery. It was at that time Theresa realized how important it is to have a hospital close to home with such skilled staff and physicians.

This realization was reinforced several times over the years for Theresa and her parents. In 2013, Theresa’s mother was admitted to MSH for surgery. Although it was always a difficult time when one of her parents were in the hospital, Theresa felt some comfort and trust in MSH. Both of Theresa’s parents have since passed away, and she recalls the excellent care that they received from the MSH physicians and health care professionals.

“I believe that the quality of health care available in a community is tied to its overall quality of life — to its ability to grow, and prosper. My parents believed that too,” she says.

A PEP in her step!

When Theresa’s father was admitted to MSH in 2017, his post-surgical recovery resulted in a lengthy four-month inpatient stay. Theresa had recently retired as a self-employed IT Project Management Consultant and became a strong advocate for her father while he was in the hospital. That same summer, Oak Valley Health’s Patient Experience Participant (PEP) volunteer program was launched. PEPs are specialized volunteers that contribute in a variety of ways to help deliver an extraordinary patient experience by sharing perspectives, opinions, and providing input on decisions that improve quality of care.

“My Dad encouraged me to apply to the PEP volunteer program and I’ve never looked back,” says Theresa. “It’s structured in a way that allows me to be involved in projects and working groups, which I really enjoy.”

To this day, Theresa volunteers her time, energy, and professional expertise to the PEP program.

Legacy donations: Investing in the future

Over the years, Theresa has seen the hospital expand to meet the growing needs of the community it serves. “For many years, both my parents and I have made monetary donations to the hospital,” says Theresa. “After my Dad passed away, I chose to include a bequest to the MSH Foundation in my Will.”

Donations are critical to MSH, and enable the hospital to continue providing quality care, while keeping up with life-saving technology — today, and for generations to come. Because government funding can’t cover all of MSH’s priority needs, donors like Theresa make a significant difference in shaping the future landscape of health care. Bequests of every size are imperative to our hospital’s future, making sure that the staff at MSH can continue to deliver the exceptional care that our community needs.

“By providing a legacy donation, it is my hope that the hospital continues to provide quality care and is able to partake in advances made in health care in the future,” says Theresa.

May is Leave a Legacy month in Canada, a time to highlight the impact of providing a charitable contribution that ensures a lifetime of care for our growing, aging, and diverse community. Naming the MSH Foundation in your Will is a powerful act of giving.