“Giving back was one of my husband’s greatest passions. Mike was a philanthropist well before I knew him. He always said he was most fulfilled when he helped others. It was this devotion to others that led us to include a donation to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation in his estate.

As a nurse, I witnessed the power of giving firsthand. There was always such excitement on the units where I worked when we received new equipment. We loved knowing it would enhance our ability to provide the best possible care for our patients. This shared sense of giving was one of the things that brought Mike and me together, and it became a passion we shared.

When Mike came to Canada from Jamaica in 1975, he found a new home in Victoria. From then on, he always said he wanted to give back to the community that embraced him.

In 2017, Mike was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Dr. Karan Shetty, Dr. Elizabeth Swiggum and the entire cardiac team at RJH treated him with the utmost respect, honesty and patience. He underwent several different treatments, including having a pacemaker implanted. He often said he felt as though he had won the lottery, because of the compassion and care he received while he was in the hospital.

During his lifetime, Mike and I made the decision to support cardiac care with a donation after his passing, knowing it would be a meaningful way to say thank you to the caregivers who took such great care of him. Being the innovator he was, he was intrigued by the new, It’s Time for Surgical Innovation campaign. He knew it would bring world class care to the people of Vancouver Island.

When he passed away last fall, we gave to the priority cardiac needs at RJH, and include the surgical campaign in our donation. It felt like the perfect way to honour Mike’s legacy. The potential for so many new and improved procedures is very exciting—it’s exactly what Mike would have wanted to see for our community. I know he’s looking down on our hospitals with pride.”

—Ethel Marley