During this season of giving, the Parkhill family has donated $40,000 to the Christie Foundation in loving memory of Katie Parkhill, honoring her life and courage during her battle with cancer.
The gift will directly support patients receiving care at Christie Clinic who face financial hardship during cancer treatment. Funds will help cover essential needs such as medications and transportation to and from appointments, easing barriers that can prevent patients from accessing timely care, as well as support interior upgrades to the Charles W. Christie Cancer Center.
David Parkhill, Katie’s husband, said the family’s donation reflects a desire to ease the burden for others facing cancer, particularly those without strong support systems.
“I was with Katie through this,” he said. “There are people that go through these things by themselves. It’s hard enough when you’ve got a support team. When you don’t, it makes it even harder.”
Despite experiencing profound loss, the family expressed gratitude for the care and support they received throughout Katie’s journey from their care team, including Dr. Steven Damore in Radiation Oncology and Dr. Sara James in the Department of Interventional Pain Management.
“We have trust in Christie Clinic,” David said. “It all comes down to the doctors, their skill level, their ability to care and their bedside manner. We had great doctors at Christie Clinic and we felt like we were getting very good care. In the end, we couldn’t stop the cancer from advancing, but up until the last month, she had a pretty good quality of life thanks to Dr. Damore and Dr. James.”
Katie’s memory and the impact she had on those around her were central to the family’s decision to give.
“My wife was well-loved by a lot of people, and she’s missed by them,” David said. “So doing this in her honor is something that we wanted to do as a family. Hopefully we can bring something useful and helpful to others. We felt good about doing this.”
The Christie Foundation supports programs and services that enhance patient care and reduce barriers to treatment. Foundation leaders said community generosity, especially during the holiday season, plays a critical role in helping patients focus on healing rather than financial stress.