Giving Back with Giving Docs
After Sherry received a chest x-ray and a CT scan, there was reason to believe that she might have pulmonary sarcoidosis, a rare condition where groups of immune cells form granulomas – or small areas of inflammation – in different areas of the lungs. Sherry had dealt with chronic bronchitis for years, but was still “shocked” when she saw the scan of her lungs, which were severely inflamed. Throughout her decade of experience on the staff of National Jewish Health, Sherry knew she would receive the best care in the world, right here with her physician colleagues at the leading respiratory hospital in the nation. Sherry’s case was thoroughly reviewed and discussed by the entire occupational medicine team, who decided the official diagnosis was pulmonary sarcoidosis and then determined the best course of treatment based on Sherry’s specific needs.
As a way to say thank you, Sherry wanted to leave a legacy gift to National Jewish Health in her will. She added a codicil, or addendum to her will, using Giving Docs, an online service – provided free to donors of National Jewish Health – that allows users to update their will, simply, easily and without an attorney. In her codicil, Sherry pledged a portion of her estate to the hospital. A codicil is a document that amends an existing will, but does not replace it. This allows the writer of the will to change their will without making an entirely new one. “It was so simple,” Sherry says. “Just a couple of clicks and it’s done. The process is so intuitive and took me less than 15 minutes.”
Sherry was also happy to take advantage of the Legacy Challenge – a limited-time program, in which a matching gift of $1,000 will be made for each revocable commitment made in a will, IRA or trust, and a $5,000 gift for each irrevocable commitment. The Legacy Challenge ends on December 31, 2021. Sherry implores that “it is important for people to take advantage of this offer.”
Now, Sherry is in remission from pulmonary sarcoidosis, thanks to the collaborative effort between the specialists at National Jewish Health who treated her condition.
“If I didn’t have this resource, I never would have known, and I wouldn’t have done anything,” Sherry says. “National Jewish Health went to bat for me.”
Sherry was blown away by the care and attention she received during her time as a patient at the hospital’s main health campus and throughout her remission. Her care team still checks in on her as she goes through routine blood tests and check-ups back home in Chicago. She knows from talking to other patients that this precision medicine and compassionate care is standard from the world-renowned physician-scientists at National Jewish Health. “The experts there in Denver helped me, and I would like to help them in the future,” Sherry says. “I feel really good about leaving a legacy at National Jewish Health.”
Giving Docs
