From Grief to Giving

At one of the darkest times in Annette Cito’s life, there were moments of kindness. In March 1988, her husband, Michael, was admitted to Morristown Medical Center. He had been in remission from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma for a decade, but the prognosis had suddenly changed.

Mrs. Cito remembers that the doctors, nurses and staff treated both her and Mr. Cito with incredible empathy.

“They made accommodations for me,” she says. “It felt like they really cared.”

She was allowed to stay overnight, for example, even though that wasn’t customary at the time.

“I’m reminded of doctors who used to make house calls with their black bags,” Mrs. Cito says. “Medical care is an industry now, but it never felt that way at Morristown.”

In the three decades since her husband’s death, Mrs. Cito has remained connected to the hospital. She started as a volunteer for the hospital’s Women’s Association and eventually included the Foundation for Morristown Medical Center in her estate plan, which automatically made her a member of the Brookfield Legacy Society.

“The Legacy Society keeps me well informed about what the hospital is doing in the community and what they want to achieve,” she notes. “Morristown Medical Center has come a long way. I give them a ten out of ten!”

Mrs. Cito encourages others to volunteer and to make a gift.

“You get more out of it than what you put into it,” she emphasizes. “They keep you educated on important medical and financial issues, they answer your questions and your donations support a fantastic hospital.”

Make an Impact Today

Please consider joining Mrs. Cito in supporting Morristown Medical Center’s innovative and patient-centered plans for the future. For more information, contact Cynthia W. O'Donnell, JD, at 973.593.2418 or cynthia.odonnell@atlantichealth.org to discuss your giving options.