“I want everyone to have the best care they can get.”
It’s a simple statement, but one that comes from a long life of experience. From a young age, Ethel Griswold learned the importance of good local health care, after watching her siblings struggle with illness and injury, and losing her mother to cancer when Ethel was just ten years old. She also has had health struggles of her own – being diagnosed with diabetes and Parkinson’s, and triumphantly beating breast cancer.
Those experiences shaped Ethel’s philanthropy, a passion she shared closely with her husband of 62 years, Vernon. The couple were highly active members of their communities of Yorkton and then Regina, with Vernon receiving many accolades for his career as a firefighter. He and Ethel first donated to Hospitals of Regina Foundation in 1998.
“These experiences drove me and Vern to give to make things better for the world,” Ethel explains.
“I give to support the life’s journey, from the young to the old. If somebody can do that, they’ll never be lost in life.”
Besides giving back and supporting a multitude of causes, Ethel and Vernon spent time together travelling throughout the United States, the United Kingdom and Mexico. But then Vernon developed a fistula, an abnormality of one of his organs. He sadly passed away from this condition in December 2017. It was then Ethel became greatly aware of the importance of medical imaging and how crucial it is to diagnose and treat disease and illness.
“We must have the equipment and the people trained to operate them, no matter what it takes,” Ethel says. “If we have the right equipment, people could live their lives comfortably.”
That experience inspired Ethel to leave a legacy gift in her will to Hospitals of Regina Foundation in support of medical imaging. She believes Vernon would be more than supportive of the idea.
“He would be right there with me,” Ethel says proudly. “I know that he would think it was just the greatest thing on earth, so I feel quite good about leaving this legacy gift to Hospitals of Regina Foundation."
She adds, “We would like to request others to do the same as what better legacy can you leave than helping our community live better lives?”
Dino Sophocleous, president and CEO, Hospitals of Regina Foundation, agrees. “A legacy gift, of any size, ensures that future generations are well taken care of with the best local health care possible. We are so grateful for the thoughtful support of Ethel, in memory of her husband, Vernon, and everyone who chooses to support the Foundation in their estate planning.”
Click here to watch a short video thanking Ethel and all our donors for their incredible support!
Interested in supporting the Foundation's efforts to make lives better for people in our community? Click here to find out how you can help.