Ronnie Footlick’s bond with Sinai Hospital began in 1967 when her infant daughter had serious breathing issues. “Paying out of pocket was a challenge for a young couple just starting out,” she says. She paid 90% of their costs, and the CFO told her not to worry about the rest. She swore she would pay back “every last penny” and returned a couple of years later as a volunteer in the OBGYN clinic.
Since then Ronnie has given generous donations to various projects and has had numerous leadership board and committee roles, including chairing the LifeBridge Magic of Life Gala—the largest single fundraiser in Maryland. Her late husband, Robert “Bob” Footlick, used to tease that she went “from basement to board room.”
“Both of my daughters were born at Sinai,” she says, “and three of my family members had their lives saved there.” In gratitude, Ronnie has made an estate gift to support a lecture series as a legacy to Bob. She feels there is a need to educate residents and physicians on the importance of palliative care. “They need to really listen and communicate with patients and their families when their lives are truly coming to an end and be honest when there is really nothing else that can be done,” she says.
“We all have an obligation to the future,” Ronnie concludes. “Making a legacy gift to a place as special as Sinai Hospital—and other LifeBridge Health hospitals—is firming up the roots. And that’s why it is the way it is now, because of those who came before us.”