Donations instead of flowers or gifts are a wonderful way to help the thousands of people needing treatment and care at St Vincent’s Hospital now and into the future.
It’s also a beautiful way to celebrate someone’s life and keep their legacy alive. The Sawaya family chose to ask for donations in lieu of flowers to celebrate the life of their beloved mother, Mary.
Mary endured a long battle with mouth cancer. She first became involved with the team at St Vincent’s 18 years ago. Over the years, the cancer came and went and up until approximately a year ago Mary was able to enjoy a good quality of life. When the cancer returned, it was very aggressive. Eventually, Mary was transferred to the Caritas Christi Hospice to receive palliative care.
Mary’s son, Nadim, said she always felt very well looked after at St Vincent’s. “She always got along really well with her doctors, in particular one of her female doctors, who she described as very warm.”
Nadim said he and his family were extremely grateful to the staff for their kind and compassionate care. This inspired them to ask for donations in lieu of flowers in memory of their mother.
“We wanted to raise money to go towards the care of patients and for research. We thought it much better for mum’s loved ones to help people instead of spending their money on flowers.
“It’s what my mum would have wanted. She was a really wise, kind and generous person. She was also an amazing cook. She would have been pleased that we created the page on her behalf,” Nadim said.
You can set up your own fundraising page to support St Vincent’s Hospitals. Head to: www.stvfoundation.org.au/fundraise
Image: Mary Sawaya with her granddaughter Elise
