The gift of a lifetime — times two

Around Sharp, the story of patient Kevin Cook — his cancer treatment journey, gratitude for Sharp caregivers and his extraordinary gift of $2.5 million to create the Kevin H. Cook Infusion Center at Sharp Memorial Hospital — is well known and beloved.

A former project manager for the City of San Diego, Kevin was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in the summer of 2012. After years of treatment at Sharp that included radiation, chemotherapy and hospital stays — as well as two brain metastases from the lung cancer — he remains well through medication and chemotherapy.

The center bearing his name has 22 infusion chairs and patients can choose the levels of privacy, light, sound and temperature within their care environment, allowing them a comfortable space to receive exceptional care. He also gifted $1 million to help benefit oncology services at Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Centers.

Joining with Sharp to “ENVISION” the future
When the Foundations of Sharp HealthCare launched the ENVISION campaign, Kevin once again took an immediate interest, especially in the Sharp Metro modernization project on the campus where several of his caregivers work. He expanded his generosity with an additional $2.5 million gift dedicated to the project and another $1 million for Sharp Rees-Stealy.

The Metro modernization is the largest set of projects in Sharp’s history and will transform the campus for the next generation of care. To Kevin, it meant another opportunity to help create an extraordinary patient experience.

“I am honored to be able to give back to Sharp for what they have done for me,” Kevin says. “I hope this will inspire other people to give now or plan for a legacy gift. It will make a difference in the lives of all San Diegans.”

One of the first campus construction projects will be to build a new parking structure on the south end of the campus next to the Sharp Rees-Stealy offices and Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital. To Kevin, this sounded like the perfect place to lend his name. Parking, access and navigation are important elements of the Sharp Metropolitan Medical Campus, and the creation of the Kevin H. Cook Parking Structure will be welcomed by all who come to Sharp for their care.

“Kevin is a member of the Sharp family in so many meaningful ways,” says Bill Littlejohn, senior vice president and CEO of the Foundations of Sharp HealthCare. “His giving — much of it being made through his estate he spent a lifetime to create — will impact the lives of countless individuals, families and caregivers for generations to come.”

Learn about supporting the Sharp HealthCare Foundation.