Brett Anderson & Thomas M. Kostigen
02/02/2004
The following article is an excerpt from The 100 Year Plan series from the December, January, February and March editions of Robb Report Worth. To subscribe or to order back issues, please call (800) 777-1851 or order online now.
One of the worst tragedies is losing a child. But Jeff and Deirdre Bronchick have transformed that tragedy into something positive for themselves and others.
When their daughter, Paige, diagnosed at birth with congenital heart disease, died at the age of 6 months, anguish of every type ensued. But Jeff and Deirdre decided to do something other than mourn: They founded the Paige Foundation, which funds medical research and provides grants in the field of children’s congenital heart disease.Initially, Jeff and Deirdre wanted to "make a big, fat donation" to a foundation that supports children’s heart disease projects, but could not find one. Almost all of the American Heart Association’s research is directed toward middle-aged heart disease, with less than 4 percent of its research efforts going toward pediatric heart research. They looked at community foundations, but found they would have to give up too much control. It took time, but after meeting another couple, Rashida and Raghu Mendu, who had lost their daughter, Samara, in a similar way, the Bronchicks merged their efforts with the Mendu’s to form The Heart of a Child Foundation.
"I think there are two ways people can approach a calamity such as a daughter dying: They can run away, or they can seek to work through it," Jeff says. Creating a foundation to assist others helped him and his wife deal with some of the pain.
"I personally think it keeps her memory fresh—and that’s good," he reflects. "It reminds me: What is the point of working and what has value?"
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Illustration by Jonathan Barkat