Michael Garron Hospital donor Carol Kirsh
Carol Kirsh

A gift of love

Ask Carol Kirsh why she became involved in Michael Garron Hospital (MGH) and she will tell you that it started with love for her late husband Roy Abrahamson.

His son, Dr. John Abrahamson, is MGH Chief of Medicine and Roy was understandably proud of all of John's accomplishments. John and his wife, Marlene, live in the East Toronto community and their daughters Katlin and Meghan were born at the hospital. As a way to celebrate John’s dedication and commitment to MGH as well as to acknowledge the important role of the hospital in the life of her family, Carol established The Abrahamson Family Endowment Fund in the Foundation to support ongoing hospital work.

Ask Carol Kirsh why she decided to leave a gift in her will to Michael Garron Hospital and her answer is simple – “I have been blessed in my life. It is a privilege to be able to share what I have to support the doctors and all staff of this wonderful hospital.  It is a way to honour the Abrahamson family that would make Roy proud.”

“I have been blessed in my life. It is a privilege to be able to share what I have to support the doctors and all staff of this wonderful hospital.  It is a way to honour the Abrahamson family that would make Roy proud.”

Carol says she and Roy understood the importance of leaving charitable gifts in one’s will very early on.  Decades ago they founded The Canadian Donor’s Guide. This annual publication continues to assist individuals to leave legacies to charities by connecting donors and charities at the time individuals are writing their wills.

In addition to being a generous donor, Carol is also the volunteer concert music programmer for the hospital’s World of Music Festival. Throughout the year, the festival provides free lunch hour concerts at the hospital which showcase and celebrate the musical soul of the diverse peoples who live and work in the community.

Through her involvement with Michael Garron Hospital, Carol says she has come to see it as, “one of the leading community hospitals in Canada; it is about real life, frontline community medicine. The staff embody some of the best of what Canada has to offer – providing an open and supportive environment while delivering high quality, compassionate medical care to the diverse community that it serves”. 

“Leaving a gift in one’s will to Michael Garron Hospital or any other deserving organization is something everyone who can, should do!”