Growing up in a remote village in the Shetland Islands taught Ethel Greenwald Hofman something about community. When neighbors ran into hardships, they came to each other’s rescue.
But, her home wasn’t perfect. “Where I grew up, people didn’t want to go the hospital. They were afraid to. Not so here,” she says. “Penn Medicine made the last years of Walter’s life bearable. The doctors and nurses soothed his pain, eased his mind and lifted his spirits. They gave him so much life. It means everything to me to be able to give back.”
In 2016, Ethel established The Walter I. Hofman, MD Memorial Lectureship at the Abramson Cancer Center in tribute to her late husband. Just this year, Ethel gave a new gift in Walter’s memory to support the Pavilion at Penn Medicine. Scheduled to open in 2021, the 1.5 million square foot facility will house 504 all-private patient rooms, an expanded emergency department, 47 operating rooms, state-of-the-art medical technology, smart design features and thoughtful amenities. It will also display the names of dedicated Pavilion supporters and their heartfelt tributes to friends, family members and loved ones. Ethel, a licensed nutritionist, and her husband Walter, a forensic pathologist, met in Chicago more than 50 years ago. They moved to Philadelphia in 1972. Walter worked at Lankenau Hospital before moving to Roxborough Memorial Hospital as Chief of Pathology. Ethel published her memoir and wrote eight cookbooks. They raised two boys together.
Although Ethel grew up on an island where summer days lasted 24 hours and northern lights danced across the winter sky, Walter was her paradise. “Walter gave me a charmed life,” she says softly.
At 62, Walter was diagnosed with colon cancer. The couple was scared, but after several months of treatment, Walter went into remission. Relieved, they returned to their daily lives. Then, seven years ago, the cancer returned.
“I feel so lucky to live in Philadelphia and be surrounded by such great care.” Over the course of the next two years, the couple traveled to Israel. They went on a cruise. They spent time in Florida. They entertained constantly.
“Walter always told me, if I get really sick, take me back to Penn.” One night in 2016, while the couple were in Florida, Walter woke up perspiring and feverish. He was medevacked to Penn, where testing revealed nothing more could be done. “Doctors also knew when to let him go,” remembers Ethel. Walter passed away a few days later.
“I support Penn because they helped me have a few more charmed years with my Walter, and the quality of life to enjoy them,” says Ethel. “It feels like a gift to be part of building a space of healing not just for you and your family, but for people from all over the world.”
Ethel’s latest tribute to Walter will name an inpatient room in his honor in the Pavilion at Penn Medicine, which will host its first patients and their families in 2021. Her gift will celebrate Walter’s life and the care he received at Penn.
Now – more than ever – we need your help in this historic effort. With your generous gift, we would be honored to celebrate you and your family’s support for many generations to come. We have many ways your legacy can align with compassionate and unparalleled healthcare. Your contribution to the Pavilion at any level will help provide leading-edge care right here in Philadelphia, and strengthen research that affects people across the globe.
Donate to the Pavilion