Joyce Furman

St. Mary's Foundation has received a very generous gift from the Joyce N. Furman Memorial Trust. The $250,000 gift will be directed to the St. Mary's Northern California Melanoma Center and the Melanoma Research Institute and a portion of the gift will go to the Cancer Center at St. Mary's.

Joyce N. Furman passed away on October 26, 2009 at the young age of 67, after a six year battle with metastatic melanoma. A resident of Portland, Oregon, she devoted her life to giving and helping others. In her passing, her trust made gifts and pledges totaling $5.3 million, with more than 90% of the funds to non-profit organizations in Oregon. The gifts were directed to help children, education, arts, and medical research.

Her gifts to the Northern California Melanoma Center will support the creation of much needed patient education materials, medical professional education materials, and seminars and conferences. A portion of this gift will support the upgrade of the Melanoma Research Institute website and infrastructure. Having had a close relationship with their oncologist and physicians associated with the St. Mary's Melanoma Center, both Joyce and her husband Bill were grateful for the care and attention they received at the hospital.

Trustee Bill Furman cites his wife Joyce's lifetime of giving, "Joyce spent her life helping others, and was the kindest, most gentle person I have ever known." St. Mary's Medical Center is most grateful for this generous gift and the help it will provide for future patients.