Childhood Illness Leads to a Lasting Legacy
When Megan Silvey was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at the age of two, her family turned to Children’s Mercy. They knew it was the best place to access expert care for their whole family. For the next three years, they spent countless hours at the hospital for overnight stays, chemotherapy appointments and multiple surgeries.
Silvey completed treatment when she was five and has been in remission since then. She now works as a data analyst and enjoys time with her two dogs. Though she was very young, her diagnosis and treatment at Children’s Mercy has had lasting impact on her life.
“Children’s Mercy just does such a great job of catering to kids and making sure that it is a comfortable, safe space while also providing the best care.”
Making plans early
A few years ago, Silvey took a financial planning class and sat down to think about her estate planning. She knew from the start of the process that Children’s Mercy would be a beneficiary.
When she reached out to let the gift planning team know that she was including Children’s Mercy in her estate, she learned about a unique match opportunity available at the time. The Myron E. Sildon Legacy Gift program helped new estate donors establish an endowed fund to benefit the area of their choice at the hospital during their lifetime.
“It’s so cool being able to know I have my whole lifetime to see that grow and make an impact,” she said.
The Silvey Family Endowment Fund for Hematology will support care teams, patients and families in hematology and oncology.
“I hope that part of my impact is making sure families can focus on healing and being with their child,” Silvey said. “I want to help remove the financial barrier, that way they can focus on being there for each other and supporting their kids through a really tough time.”
Leading by example; Inspiring others
Silvey hopes that she can lead by example for others her age to start thinking about estate planning early.
“It doesn’t have to be super fancy — I have a simple will. Just adding a few sentences makes all the difference.
"I’m doing my little piece and hopefully that can inspire others. If I can inspire at least one other person to look in to creating a will and giving back to Children’s Mercy, I feel like my job is done.”
To learn more about including Children’s Mercy in your will and estate, contact the Philanthropy Gift Planning team at giftplanning@cmh.edu.