A Lasting Legacy

Long-time resident Lillian Beamish shares her reasons for giving to her local hospital

If laughter is the best medicine then Lillian (Lil) Beamish will outlive us all. In the quiet retirement community across from Cullen Gardens in her not-so quiet home, the retired General Motors employee recalls her first experience with Lakeridge Health.

"During the depression we were very poor so when my father got sick and had to go to the hospital we were concerned he might be turned away. Instead, they accepted him with open arms, free of charge," she explains. "I knew then, this hospital is about caring."

Many years later and a few visits to that same hospital, including a rewarding visit to the cardiac rehabilitation program and shoulder replacement, Lil has chosen to include Lakeridge Health in her will. "You only get one legacy," she says. "We owe it to the community to support our hospital so others can experience the quality health care we've always received."

Lil's long-time best friend Kay Helleur, the first woman to ever design a golf course in North America, has also made a bequest to Lakeridge Health. "There was no arm twisting involved," she says. "We both agree, we may not have needed the hospital that much over the years but other people do and will. It's important to invest in your local hospital." 

"We helped build this community.  It's our duty to support it for the future. That's why Lakeridge Health is part of our gift planning," adds Lil.

Assigning Lakeridge Health as a beneficiary in your will is an easy and affordable way to ensure generations of Durham Region residents will have the very best health care available. 

"If you care for the hospital," says Lil, "it can care for you and the generations after you."