Melvina Purdy, a retired nurse at Niagara Health Sciences, recently made a planned gift to Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation. Upon her death, Melvina’s gift will leave a legacy that will benefit patients for many years to come. Here, in her own words, Melvina explains what inspired her to make this gift.
There are many reasons why people leave gifts to Hamilton Health Sciences in their will, but I have a very special reason – a little boy named Nicholas. In the late 1970s my husband and I anxiously awaited the birth of our first child. Unfortunately, that child was stillborn. While grieving from the loss, I met and befriended Bannet, who became like a sister to me. In 1979, Bannet herself gave birth, to a beautiful baby girl named Cassie.
In the 1980s, I enrolled in the Nursing School at the Hamilton General Hospital. Having lost my own child, I felt I could help others who were going through difficult times. I loved nursing. In the meantime, I watched Cassie grow and eventually get married and start a family of her own. When my husband and I found out Cassie was expecting, we were thrilled. It was like we were expecting our own grandchild.
Cassie named her baby Nicholas. As soon as he was born, I sensed something was wrong. His limbs were stiff, his eyes shifted around rapidly, and he screamed constantly. My nurse’s instincts told me that Nicholas needed special medical attention. So I suggested Cassie take Nicholas to McMaster Children’s Hospital. An MRI showed that Nicholas had suffered a stroke in the uterus, leaving him with a lack of brain tissue. But since the stroke happened while he was still developing in the womb, other areas of the brain took over the functions that might otherwise have been lost. As soon as the diagnosis was made, treatment was started. In a very short time, Nicholas stopped screaming and he was noticeably less irritable.
As a nurse, I often marvel at how much technology and treatment have evolved over the years. I wondered, if Nicholas had been born 30 years earlier, would the doctors have been able to help him? And what of the kids who are born 30 years from now? With all these medical advances, will hospitals have the financial resources to keep pace with it all?
So I asked myself how I could do my part to make sure sick children would be looked after. We were surprised at how easy it was. My husband Ron and I updated our will to include a bequest to McMaster Children’s Hospital, for all the Nicholas’ of the future.
Nicholas is now a healthy six-year-old boy with a very bright future ahead of him. There is no doubt in my mind that the outstanding care he received at McMaster Children’s Hospital played a major role in his development.
I wanted to share my story with you because most people have a precious child in their life that they care about, and just like my gift, your gift can make a difference for them, and for generations of children.
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