Giving to Duke Cancer Institute: Harold and Selma Lerner
Retired from their careers as an electrical engineer and a registered nurse, Harold and Selma Lerner transplanted to Durham from their native Boston more than 20 years ago. The Lerners live only an eight-minute ride from Duke, a choice that was a lifesaver when Harold had a stroke. Afterward, he was impressed that his doctor spent more than an hour explaining the results of his brain imaging studies.
“You get top-notch medicine, but the doctors also have deep concern,” Harold says. “They or their nurses always call to be sure you’re okay.”
The Lerners had an equally good experience when Selma was diagnosed with a gastrointestinal tumor. Before her treatment, they asked a friend, a gastro-enterologist in Boston, to recommend the best place to have surgery. He told them that Duke was exactly where they needed to be.
The Lerners have long supported Duke Health, making gifts for scholarships, cancer research, and cardiovascular research. Now they have made bequest commitments to support research at Duke Cancer Institute, as well as research and training in Duke Rheumatology and Duke Orthopedics.
“It’s our way of giving back for all that we’ve received,” Selma says. “We’ve received such wonderful care. What’s more important than your health?”
You can make a planned gift to benefit the doctors at Duke who have cared for you the most. To learn more, please contact Joe W. Tynan, JD, Senior Executive Director of Gift Planning, joseph.tynan@duke.edu or (919) 385-3114.
This Blueprints blog post is a reprint with the expressed permission of the original author. Article written by Angela Spivey, Senior Public Relations Specialist at Duke Cancer Institute’s Development Office. Original article may be viewed directly on the Duke Cancer Institute’s website.
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