The Perrott Family - A Legacy of Grateful Returns
At the Perrott family home in Northridge, Calif., the brick-layered mantle above the fireplace provides an ideal location for the photo of the woman who saved their son's life. After being diagnosed with leukemia, Ed and Pat Perrott's son, Matthew, was paired with the one individual in the National Marrow Donor Program Registry of 900,000 people who provided an exact match with his bone marrow.
 Pat and Ed Perrott created a charitable remainder trust in gratitude for their son’s bone marrow transplant at City of Hope. |
In 1991, Matthew, who once had a 15 percent chance of survival, received a lifesaving transplant from New Jersey resident Cindi Lynch, who still remains close to the family. Following the transplant, Matthew and his parents became familiar faces at the Medical Center.
As a sign of their gratitude to City of Hope (COH), Ed and Pat created two charitable remainder trusts as the vehicle for their giving. "It was our hope that through these financial vehicles, other families, in their time of need, will find their hopes and their dreams answered, just as ours were."
A charitable remainder trust can boost your income, save income taxes, and let you profit from appreciated assets. By funding the trust with appreciated assets, you are entitled to a sizable income tax charitable deduction based on their full market value. Most important of all, you gain the heartwarming satisfaction of helping City of Hope save lives through its innovative research and treatment programs.
COH also played a role in restoring the health of another family member: Ed was successfully treated for prostate cancer. In recognition, the couple facilitated a $300,000 donation to the organization through Ed's company, Service Corporation International. Pat also serves as Patient Speaker Ambassador for COH's Speakers Bureau, in which both she and Matthew still are active. In addition, Ed and Pat actively raise funds for the City of Hope Bone Marrow Transplantation Program.
Sharing space on the fireplace mantle with Cindi's photo is a golden plaque of gratitude from COH, given to Ed, Pat and Matthew in honor of their continued generosity. "City of Hope is a wondrous place," adds Pat. "To look back at the miracle of Matthew's recovery still makes me cry sometimes. There is really no other institution like it."