12 Cone Health Philanthropy Haygood: Philanthropy is kind of a long word for what I grew up thinking of as people helping people. Someone asked me recently, did I grow up poor? I said, “I think so.” There were five kids, one income. My mother worked, but not consistently. I think I did grow up poor, but I was never hungry, and I always had a place to lay my head. I had people who clearly loved me and thought that I was extraordinary. My mother thought I was capable of doing anything. People often think that philanthropy is something that rich people do. In the community where I grew up, what we did wasn’t called philanthropy, but I can give you example after example of people getting together and gathering resources for a cause that wasn’t for themselves — it was for someone else, it was to meet a need, to fill a gap and to build on that, small act after small act. My husband’s uncle told me a long time ago, “Don’t ever make the mistake of letting your inability to do everything keep you from doing something.” I really want people to know that unassuming exteriors don’t mean that you can’t do something. Everybody can do something. When you think about the MedCenter for Women over the next five years, what do you hope has changed because of this gift? Haygood: I hope that there will be other people who feel that this is something that’s worthy of support and that women’s health is one of the most important investments you can make. I would love to see innovative, evidence-based programs blossom. I want so badly — even if I’m not here to witness it — to reach a point where it is an absolute rarity that mothers are dying during and after pregnancy and that babies are dying before they reach their first birthday. The measure of a society is how it treats its children, but if the children never get here and never have a first birthday, then we have nothing to invest in. Likewise, if we think of our children as a precious resource, such as water, how can you possibly say that you are caring for the water if you’re not caring for the vessel, the mother? There are many causes where donations can make a difference. But I believe my calling is to support the community that I’ve chosen to live in, a community that has supported me. If you could talk to your mother right now, what would she say? Haygood: My mother would say, “Oh, you didn’t have to do that. I don’t need a name on a building. You know I am just so proud of you.” She was proud of all of her children. She poured into us from deep within. How does someone who loses their mother when they’re just 3 days old — someone who technically didn’t experience mothering herself — know how to pour into her children like that? She knew how to experience joy in the development of those she had invested in. I hope that trait is genetic because it means I might inherit some of it. The standard women deserve Dr. Vanessa Haygood’s $1.5 million commitment funds maternal health programs over the next five years and establishes an endowment to sustain that work long term. The investment reflects her conviction: Every woman deserves what her mother never had — compassionate, expert providers who listen and equip women with knowledge to make informed decisions. For Dr. Tanya Pratt, an obstetrician- gynecologist, the investment raises the bar for the care women in this community should expect. This gift strengthens our ability to provide the highest quality care for women and children. It’s about excellence and outcomes. We’re committed to delivering care that addresses the full spectrum of women’s health needs.” Jamilla Walker, MSN, CNM, IBCLC (pictured on page 9) — a board-certified nurse midwife and certified lactation consultant — describes the investment as both an affirmation and a charge, a reminder that the trust placed in the Cone Health Pearl Walker Haygood MedCenter for Women must be honored in every exam room and delivery suite. We are humbled that Dr. Haygood has seen our work and believes in our ability to steward this gift well, that she trusts our creativity and passion to take her gift and transform it into safe and effective strategies that directly increase maternal and infant vitality.” In that sense, the name on the building carries both legacy and expectation — a promise measured not in recognition, but in the care delivered inside its walls and in the lives of mothers and newborns.
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