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The routine of daily radiation therapy can be tedious. When Melvin F. and his wife, Mary Elisabeth, look back on Mr. F.'s weeks of treatment at the Francis H. Burr Proton Therapy Center at the Massachusetts General Hospital, however, they don't see it that way. Mr. F. is grateful that such impressive technology was available at the MGH at the time he most needed it. "I was fortunate to be able to have proton therapy," he says.
Mr. F. and his wife were struck by the stories of many of the patients they came to know during their time at the Proton Therapy Center. Consequently, when they decided to establish a charitable remainder trust to benefit the MGH, they specified that the funds support pediatric and ocular oncology.
The Howard Ulfelder, MD Healing Garden, a distinctive location in the MGH's Yawkey Center for Outpatient Care, is the third area to benefit from the couple's generous gift. The garden was conceived as a place of peace and reflection for patients undergoing treatment and their families.
The generosity of Mr. and Mrs. F. - the result of deep appreciation for the MGH - has been shaped by their sensitivity to those who face the most difficult diagnoses. "We're very lucky," says Mr. F. "We feel we really have to help however we can."
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