On a quiet three acres surrounded by mounds of mountain laurel, the Parsons’ home is full of cherished collectables and family treasures. Outside the full-length windows birds and deer compete with the squirrels for a place at the feeders…the culmination of a small town life, well lived.

Jack and Wanda dated through high school, after which, she went to nursing school and he went into the service. She became a school nurse and Jack went into the family clam business when they married.

In 2007 they celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. A milestone they say would have never happened, if not for Deborah Heart & Lung Center.

Twenty years ago, on the last day of school, Wanda’s heart suffered a life-threatening rupture between its pumping cavities. After a complex surgery at Deborah, doctors were able to repair the damage and stabilize her condition. Thirty-one days later she was able to return home and to Jack.

Today, she remembers the skill of the doctors and the compassionate care she received. “After leaving intensive care, all of my nurses came to my regular room to see me,” Wanda recalled.

She marvels at how genuinely concerned and caring they were and the special vanilla milkshakes one brought when her appetite was low.

“I can’t say enough about Deborah, I wouldn’t be here today or have had the years I’ve had with out the doctors and nurses at Deborah. They saved my life.”

Now, Wanda and Jack have found ways to make a difference in Deborah’s present and future, through several of the giving programs of the Foundation.

As members of the President’s Club, they are recognized as providing an annual gift that supports the daily needs of the hospital, provides for the ongoing care of Deborah’s patients, and helps to buy the latest equipment. Their commitment to make a yearly gift provides a strong foundation of funding on which Deborah and its patients can rely.

Additionally, they have contributed to Deborah’s current capital campaign which is raising the funds for Deborah’s strategic renovations and technological enhancements.

Although they are doing what they can, Wanda’s wish is that they could do more. Through the Foundation’s Heritage Circle Society, they have found a way to do just that. As Jack and Wanda design their estate plans for their futures, they also plan for Deborah’s.

They found that a bequest allows them the fulfillment of creating a personal legacy that will continue Deborah’s medical and humanitarian missions, a legacy that will give others the gift of life that Wanda so thankfully received. When they are no longer here to continue their gifts to Deborah, that are so important to them, their caring will live on.

They appreciate the financial security of retaining their assets now while knowing they have ultimately directed them to be used by an organization they truly value. By making a simple bequest in their wills to Deborah Hospital Foundation they are fulfilling their wishes of making a truly significant contribution in a way that is right for them.

They can rest assured that the support they provide Deborah now will continue on. Their legacy to Deborah will be one of caring and making a difference in the lives of others.

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