Cynthia Crawford is a legacy donor of the Nanaimo District Hospital Foundation. In 2016, while on a cruise, her husband Larry was experiencing shoulder pain, and the GP on board advised them to return home so Larry could receive an MRI. Once home, Larry was diagnosed with Stage 4 Prostate Cancer. His GP attempted to schedule him for an MRI at Nanaimo General Hospital however, the wait time was extensive. Faced with little options, Larry chose to pay for a private MRI.

While undergoing cancer treatment, Larry recognized medical imaging equipment was greatly needed at the Nanaimo General Hospital, and decided to leave a legacy to fund more equipment. Larry’s cancer subsided, but he suffered other medical conditions – one of them being Congestive Heart Failure. Sadly, Larry passed away in 2021.

When Larry’s will was read, Cynthia realized the medical imaging equipment had been purchased and that the new ICU that Larry had been making donations to was nearing completion.

Cynthia chose a Planned Gift as a way of funding the NDHF to acquire new equipment, improve facilities, aid medical research and education to further patient care. She wants to inspire others to give if they can as “we need to ensure the quality of the hospital in our community.”

She chose to leave her legacy to the Nanaimo Regional General Hospital’s Heart & Stroke Care thematic area, in hopes of supporting a future Cardiac Catheterization Lab, after reading about it in the NDHF “Vision 2030 and Beyond”. The Lab is intended to perform non-invasive procedures for cardiac patients to improve patient health outcomes.

Cynthia’s dedication to the NDHF through her donations and volunteer work is a testament of the impact one person can have on their local healthcare system.