Meet Our Donors
Wendy Wood-Kjelvik
As a longtime Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento nurse leader, Wendy Wood-Kjelvik saw first-hand the impact philanthropy makes on bringing the latest medical advances to patients. Personally, Wendy and her husband, Norman Kjelvik, turned to Sutter when Norman faced some health problems in his final years of life.
Wendy met Norman on the job, where he worked as Sutter Memorial Hospital's Director of Plant Operations for 37 years. When Norman began experiencing some difficult-to-diagnose neurological problems, Sutter Neuroscience Institute provided advanced diagnosis and treatment. "Norman's doctors and other members of the health care team orchestrated compassionate and innovative care," says Wendy. "They were outstanding."
The excellent care that Norman received, as well as her own personal reasons, have prompted Wendy to include the Sutter Neuroscience Institute in her estate plan. "I strongly believe in the Sutter Health mission. I also believe that private funding is vital to foster continued research and medical advances for neurological disorders," she says.
Though Wendy is now retired, her ties to Sutter remain strong. She continues to work as an independent nurse contractor and volunteers with Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento's Child Life Program.
She hopes that her commitment will inspire others to give and emphasizes that making a gift is a simple way to leave a lasting legacy. "Giving is like having spare change. If you put it in your wallet, you spend it on useless stuff," she says. "That spare change is put to much better use by making a gift to Sutter, where it will be used for a great cause."