Bill leaves a future gift for WCH, a hospital that really cares.
“I’ll be the guy with the walker!” Bill Hughey told us cheerfully over the phone as we confirmed plans to meet him at WCH for an interview. When the time came, he wasn’t hard to spot – the walker aside, Bill has a youthful glint in his eye that’s hard to miss.
We wanted to chat with Bill, a retired English teacher, to find out what motivates him to donate to Women’s College Hospital. He’s been a regular donor since the early 1990s, but several years ago he decided to take his support even further by naming the hospital as a beneficiary in his will.
“Well, I’ve been a patient here for almost 30 years and I have yet to meet someone who isn’t just incredibly nice,” he says with pride. “There’s no other place like it – everyone goes out of their way to provide the best care and service. That’s what makes it so special.”
Bill says he first came to WCH in the late 1980s to receive treatment for psoriasis. Since then, he’s also received excellent care at the foot clinic and for diabetes management. More recently, he became a patient at WCH’s Family Practice Health Centre and is thrilled with his new physician, Dr. Rob Dmytryshyn. Looking back on his experiences at WCH over the years, Bill credits the hospital’s personalized approach to healthcare with helping him feel better than ever.
Asked about his decision to include WCH in his will, Bill says that he wanted to make sure he could continue supporting an organization that’s had such an impact on his health long into the future.
“It’s so important to support organizations that are making a real difference,” Bill reflects. “Women’s College Hospital is one of those, and this is just another way that I can contribute to its success.”
Before we said goodbye to Bill after our interview, we accompanied him to an appointment at the Lobby Lab off the Peter Gilgan Atrium. He had hardly sat down in the waiting room before he was making friends with the staff, other patients and their families.
The scene reminded us of something he had said during our conversation: “Women’s College Hospital feels more like a community. People here really care about each other.”
Learn how you can join Bill by leaving a gift to WCH in your will.
