Donors Establish Legacy
Eleanor and Thomas Requard celebrate the dedication of the Requard Center for Radiation Oncology at Shore Regional Cancer Center
Thomas and Eleanor Requard first forged a relationship with Shore Health when they made their first gift to the Memorial Hospital Foundation in 2004. Their love of the Eastern Shore began decades earlier
Originally from Baltimore County, the Requards started making plans to move to the Eastern Shore when they bought property here in 1958. They made Easton their full-time home in 1994, when Mr. Requard retired from the residential construction and rental management business founded by his father. Mrs. Requard, a career educator, later retired and assisted her husband with rental property management until the couple sold the business.
Savvy Consumer becomes Cancer Patient Advocate
A savvy consumer of health care services, Mr. Requard made it his business to stay current on the latest medical developments. He brought copies of articles on technological advancements to his medical appointments and enjoyed discussing them with his doctors.
During one of his treatment sessions with John Mastandrea, MD, radiation oncologist at Shore Regional Cancer Center, Mr. Requard learned that the center needed funds to complete an upgrade to its radiology wing. The Requards, who had been married for more than 60 years and have no family, had already considered Shore Health as a beneficiary of their estate.
On December 9, 2004, Shore Regional Cancer Center staff and physicians and guests of the Requards gathered to dedicate the Requard Radiation Oncology Center in recognition of the couple’s $1 million gift to the Memorial Hospital Foundation.
Dr. Mastandrea commented that the Requards’ gift makes it possible for patients to get state of the art treatment without leaving home. “The Requard’s donation is a gift of hope that will live on for many years,” he said.
When it was his turn at the podium, Mr. Requard praised the staff and physicians who cared for him. “All of them were kind and helpful,” he said. He added that he and his wife made the gift because they believed it was the right thing to do for the community.
When the Requards made their initial gift to Shore Regional Cancer Center, they stipulated that 10 percent of their donation be used to establish an endowment reserved for cancer patients who have no financial means for treatment. The hospital invested the balance of this gift – as well as other major gifts the couple has given – in new technology and equipment for the Cancer Center.
Philanthropy Funds Rehabilitation Center
The Requards continued their tradition of generosity with a $1 million gift for a new rehabilitation center at Memorial Hospital. Mrs. Requard attended the grand opening of the Requard Center for Acute Rehabilitation in 2007.
Addressing a roomful of guests, Mrs. Requard shared the story of how her husband had benefited from acute rehabilitation over 20 years earlier. He had been admitted to a Baltimore rehabilitation hospital and participated in what she described as “pretty rugged” therapy for over 10 weeks after the sudden onset of Guillain-Barre, a neurological syndrome that causes paralysis.
“Tom never forgot that experience,” Mrs. Requard said, recalling her husband, who passed away in 2006. “When he heard that Shore Health System was constructing an acute rehabilitation center at Memorial Hospital, he said to me, ‘Let’s see if we can help.’ That’s why we are part of the team involved in bringing this center to our community.”
Mrs. Requard added, “You need capable and caring people working as a team to provide this kind of service. Also, patients must have faith and determination that they will get well.” She emphasized the importance of family involvement and how having the Requard Center in Easton makes that easier.