Giving Thanks by Giving Back to BWFH

Each year, despite living an hour away from Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital (BWFH), Donna Royer makes the trip to the Sagoff Breast Imaging and Diagnostic Center. The distance is a small price to pay, according to Donna and her husband Tom, for the excellent and reliable care she receives at BWFH.

Their relationship with BWFH began years ago after dear friends were diagnosed with breast cancer. Donna and Tom set out to find the best preventative care possible and acting on a friend’s recommendation, they found the Sagoff Center.

Donna was deeply appreciative for the time her physicians spent going over her tests, answering her questions and addressing her concerns. “The Sagoff Center was the only place that gave you [mammography] test results right away, which was impressive,” Donna remembers.

Though Donna has never shown signs of breast cancer, Tom recognizes the toll it takes on families and is grateful for his wife’s exceptional preventive care. “Any prevention that can keep people from having to go through that, I’m all for it,” he says.

Their heritage also instilled in them a strong belief in giving back, which inspired them to include the Sagoff Center in their will.

“Our parents worked hard and gave us so much, and our good health gives us even more to be thankful for,” says Tom. “That’s why we have given to Faulkner through the years, and always intended for the hospital to be part of our estate plans.”

In recognition for their thoughtful gift, the Royers were welcomed into The Legacy Society, an honorary group that celebrates those who have included commitments to the hospital in their estate plans.

Today, both Donna and Tom enjoy a happy, healthy life together, knowing that excellent care will always be available for them and for others, for generations to come.