Giving has the special power to transform a family’s grief into a benefit for countless others. Late philanthropist Henrietta Lee is an example.

When cancer touched her loved ones, she responded by giving millions of dollars to bolster the search for cures. Lee, who died in 2008 at age 94, included City of Hope in her legacy through a bequest of more than $2.3 million.

Henrietta Lee (Photo courtesy of the University of Southern California)

“Henrietta Lee was a selfless supporter of medical research to end cancer,” said Kathleen Kane, City of Hope’s executive vice president for development and external affairs. “We’re pleased to have her name associated with ours.”

A native of the Netherlands, Lee moved with her family to Southern California at age 15. While working at her father’s dairy in Cypress, Calif., she met her future husband, Harold Lee, who owned a firm specializing in construction work for dairy farms.

Lee had no children of her own, but sought to aid those in her community by raising funds for Children’s Hospital of Orange County. Her involvement there inspired the couple, and they planned to bestow most of their estate to fund cancer research.

Then cancer — and the grief that sometimes accompanies it — became a part of Lee’s own life. Her husband died of cancer in 1990 and her niece was diagnosed with cancer soon after.

Seeing her loved ones face the disease only redoubled Lee’s determination to stop it. She contributed millions of dollars to several cancer centers in Southern California, particularly for programs in women’s cancers.

During her lifetime, she gave regularly to City of Hope, and her willed gift to City of Hope expands the impact of that philanthropy.

“Her gift will have a direct impact on City of Hope’s drive for better treatments,” Kane said. “Our hope is to translate her generosity into therapies that are both more effective and less toxic.”