For the Tod family, The Ottawa Hospital has been a pillar of support for nearly 60 years.
Charles and Maureen first moved to Ottawa in 1963 with their daughters, Cynthia and Melanie, into a home just blocks from the former Civic Hospital. They’d picked the house because Charles could walk to work easily–but the location soon proved even more ideal than they’d thought.
Through the years, the doctors at The Ottawa Hospital treated the family for ailments of all sorts: from tonsillitis and appendicitis to concussions, sprains, and stitches. It’s where Charles got his hearing aids adjusted, and where Melanie underwent investigative surgery. More recently, it’s where Maureen was treated for a series of mini strokes that caused several falls.
And the connection spread further. Because they were so near the hospital, it wasn’t uncommon for friends undergoing treatment at the hospital to drop by afterward for a cup of comforting tea.
No matter what was wrong, the Tods knew that The Ottawa Hospital was the place to go for world-class care.
Never one to receive and not pay it forward, Maureen began volunteering at the gift shop. She also became a donor–inspiring her daughter Melanie to do the same. So it felt like a natural extension for Maureen to include The Ottawa Hospital in her will.
“It will be helpful to people to have the care available. And at almost 90, I haven’t needed a lot of care, but when I did, I got great care, and I’m still doing well. I want to pass that on.”