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Ten years of giving


Cheryl Hannabury (right of Pastor Bill Grimbol) in 1999 with her mother Charlotte Hannabury (right) and grandmother Olive Congdon. Cheryl died in 2002 but her legacy will be celebrated at the Gift of Life fundraiser on March 6 at the Ram’s Head Inn.

One of the greatest challenges a person can experience is thediagnosis of a life-threatening disease. For the patient, and theirfamily, it’s a moment of sadness, helplessness, and often,confusion.

But sometimes this challenge leads to some of the greatestexpressions of love and support. On March 6, the Shelter Islandcommunity will show its love and support at the tenth annual”Cheryl Hannabury Celebration of Life Community Cocktail Party” atthe Ram’s Head Inn. The fundraiser will raise money to aid patientswith life-threatening diseases, help expand the bone marrowregistry and commemorate the start of the organization’s tenthyear.

As both a recipient of help from the Shelter Island communityand a founding member of the Gift of Life foundation, CherylHannabury was well aware of the power and importance of thissupport.

When she was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma just a fewdays before Christmas in 1992, she lacked health insurance. Butthrough the generous help of both the Presbyterian Church andfundraising efforts from the Shelter Island community, Ms.Hannabury was able to pay for two bone marrow transplants, bothvery costly procedures.

She organized a meeting on January 15, 2001 with Bill and CaseyHannabury, Kathy King, Ed and Cheryl Brown, James and Linda Eklund,and Sarah Shepherd to create an organization to help people copewith life-threatening illnesses like her own. With the help of somegenerous donations, the Gift of Life became a non-profit 501c(3)foundation just a few weeks later.

“Helping others was Cheryl’s dream, said her mother, CharlotteHannabury. “That’s why she was began this, so that others could behelped just as she was helped along the way.

Although she lost her battle with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, herdream lives on through the continued work of the Gift of Life,which now serves patients in Southold, Southampton, East Hamptonand Shelter Island.

It’s comprised of an all-volunteer team of insurance and medicalprofessionals, social workers, clergy and a number of othercommunity members from different fields. Since its inception, thefoundation has distributed nearly a quarter of a million dollars indirect grants to 27 people.

But those figures don’t fully account for all that theorganization has accomplished, which is more difficult to quantify.For example, members of the foundation negotiate directly withdoctors, hospitals and insurance providers to gain reducedtreatment charges for a patient, and help guide patients throughthe maze of insurance costs to make sure they receive what they’reentitled to. The expert Medical Advisory Committee can help directpatients through the often difficult process of finding the rightdoctors.

The president of the Gift of Life Foundation, James Eklund,explained “It’s bad enough to be sick, but when you’re all of asudden faced with all this red tape about who’s covering what,where the money’s coming from, and asking, ‘Am I entitled tosomething that I’m not getting?’ … To know that somebody else islooking into that is a big comfort.”

Patients can also receive free or cost-reduced transportation toget medical attention or receive bone marrow transplants -transportation is often an expensive necessity, since donors can bethousands of miles away. The foundation continues to work to expandthe bone marrow registry, too, by sponsoring blood drives andencouraging those who participate to get tested for a bone-marrowmatch.

The organization tries to accommodate as many of the patients’needs as possible: for instance, it gave a child with a rare bonedisease transportation to Boston Children’s Hospital, arranged adeal with the hospital to lower an outstanding bill, and then paida large portion of that bill. The Gift of Life helped a severelydebilitated patient with multiple sclerosis by arranging forfrequent custodial visits to their home, installing a Med Alertsystem and renovating their house to make it more accessible andapplying for their disability insurance.

Dr. Frank Adipietro, a member of the Medical Advisory Committee,described the foundation’s services as “a comprehensive type ofmedical care, which is very unique.

But it’s not just the services that are so helpful to patientsin dire situations: “If people feel that somebody is willing toreach out to them and help them, it can change their lives. There’sa positive energy involved with this whole process. As a physician,I feel that’s very important for terminally ill patients andchronically ill patients.

Mr. Eklund agrees: “I think that’s one of the biggest things weoffer people, to let them know that there are people who areconcerned about them.

If you’d like to be one of those people, don’t miss the “CherylHannabury Celebration of Life Community Cocktail Party on March 6.It will feature live music, buffet, open bar and an auction run byKen Lewis. Tickets are $35 and available at Casey’s Nail Salon, theChequit Inn or from Gift of Life board members. All proceeds willbenefit the foundation.

For more information, to give a donation or to get involved withthe Gift of Life, call (631) 744-0110.