With Gratitude for the Little Things
Donor Pulse
Michael Linn’s gift to UT Southwestern honors those who understand that with a cancer diagnosis, sometimes the smallest details become the most important.
“After my wife, Pat, was diagnosed with leukemia in August 2019, we traveled to UT Southwestern from our home in Fort Worth at least twice a week,” wrote Mr. Linn in a note to UT Southwestern. “In 2020 alone, we drove about 10,000 miles to Dallas for visits and treatment. The valet staff were the first people we encountered upon arriving at the Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center, and they took time to get to know us. The smiles, the hugs, the assistance in physical transfer, and parking my two-seat sports vehicle close to the Center all made life easier for us.
“Pat was an RN for 50 years and held various management positions around the country. She loved her work and touched many lives. After undergoing a bone marrow transplant, we did not get the results that we hoped for. She felt her treatments were just prolonging her life, and it was not a quality of life she wanted. She decided to stop treatment, and in January 2021, she passed away in Clements University Hospital with me by her side. The warmth, care, concern, and positive attitudes of the entire Simmons Cancer Center staff – from valet to nursing, lab assistants, and physicians – were most impressive and comforting even in the darkest days. It was the little things that helped us through, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
