Legacy giving shows the power of ‘ordinary people doing extraordinary things’
A celebration with gratitude: Alison Snowden, daughter Lily and her husband David Fine at the 2019 Academy Awards not long after Alison’s life-saving treatment at VGH. supplied
Exceptional care and bold medical innovation at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) transformed the lives of Oscar winning filmmaker Alison Snowden and her family – taking them from a state of “no hope” to recovery and a new lease on life.
In 2017, Alison and her husband David Fine were thriving as Vancouver-based filmmakers. The couple had been working on their latest animated film when Alison contracted a virus that developed into lung infection.
After coming to the VGH Emergency Department, Alison was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and in the days that followed, her lungs deteriorated. Her oxygen levels dropped so low that she ended up intubated and in an induced coma.
David and the couple’s 19-year-old daughter Lily were told that Alison had a rare condition called Acute Respiratory Pneumonitis. It appeared a lung transplant wasn’t an option – Alison’s body was too weak to survive the operation.
“My daughter and I sat there while Alison’s doctor explained that there was no hope. Her lungs were completely destroyed and she would never recover. She remained on life support, but she wasn’t coming back. We were devastated.”
Pushing the boundaries of possibility
The family’s despair soon turned to hope. Dr. Gordon Finlayson, Alison’s intensive care physician, put forward a radical idea that could save Alison’s life.
The ICU and transplant team at VGH had developed a plan to wake Alison from her induced coma and try to build her strength enough to survive an emergency lung transplant. They would use a donor-funded ECMO machine to oxygenate her blood, essentially taking over the role of her badly damaged lungs, so they could bridge her to surgery.
VGH is one of the only facilities in the country that could facilitate such treatment, and it was the first time a patient had been put on ECMO before they were even on the transplant list.
This unprecedented approach was successful. Alison worked hard to gain enough strength, and on her birthday, learned that she was on the transplant list. After receiving new lungs, she embarked on her long journey to recovery.
David and Alison were so grateful for the care they received, they decided to leave gifts in their wills to VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation.
Paying it forward
“We are so incredibly honoured and thankful for the thoughtfulness of people like David and Alison, who translated their gratitude for the excellent care they received at VGH into a gift in their will that will ensure the next generations of British Columbians will continue to have access to the best medical care,” says Charlene Taylor, Director, Gift & Estate Planning.
“[Legacy] gifts allow us to attract the best and the brightest health-care professionals, help support leading-edge research programs and fund the latest medical technologies well into the future.”
The ECMO machine that helped save Alison’s life is the type of state-of-the-art medical equipment made possible by legacy gifts such as gifts in wills, says Ms. Taylor. “Legacy gifts make such a difference,” she says. “These gifts allow us to attract the best and the brightest health-care professionals, help support leading-edge research programs and fund the latest medical technologies well into the future.”
Legacy giving as a means of supporting VGH & UBC Hospital Foundation has been on the upswing in recent years. According to Ms. Taylor, it seems people are living longer and seeing how important health care is for all of us now and in the future. As assets increase in value over time, legacy giving is often an opportunity for an individual to make their largest gift ever beyond what is possible during their lifetime.
Bequest gifts or gifts in wills are the most common form of legacy gifts. Donors can also support the future of health care by donating other types of future gifts to the Foundation such as life insurance policies, proceeds of registered retirement savings plans (RRSP), registered retirement income funds (RRIF) and tax-free savings accounts (TFSA). Everybody’s financial situation differs, and it is encouraged that prospective donors consult professional advisers about the options that are best for them to maximize the benefits to their estate and the impact their legacy can make.
“Legacy gifts provide sustainability for the future of our hospitals and health-care centres,” says Ms. Taylor. “These types of gifts ensure the next generations will continue to have access to the best medical care possible.”
Following Alison Snowden’s recovery, the pair returned to work on their short film, Animal Behaviour, which they dedicated to the team at Vancouver General Hospital and which went on to be nominated for a 2019 Academy Award for Best Animated Short. Alison, David and their daughter Lily walked the red carpet together in Hollywood mere months after things looked so bleak, thanks to the amazing staff at VGH.
“It’s hard for us to adequately express the depth of emotion we feel about the care we got at VGH,” says David. “I say ‘we’ because although Alison was the patient, the support for our family was incredible. And if we can leave something to recognize that when we’re not here, then that is very important to us.”
For more information, visit vghfoundation.ca/gift-in-will or contact Charlene.Taylor@vghfoundation.ca or call 604-875-4917.
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