Dr. Polina Parizeau dedicated her life to caring for others, leaving behind a legacy of healing that will continue because of the generous gift she made to the Victoria Hospitals Foundation (VHF) in her will.
From the age of six, Dr. Parizeau knew she wanted to be a doctor.
“Her life revolved around caring for others. She was born to be a doctor, it was her calling,” says her daughter, Denyse. Dr. Parizeau studied medicine in Russia and graduated from medical school in 1941. After World War II, she emigrated from Europe and became one of Canada’s first female anesthesiologists. She practiced at St. Joseph’s Hospital from the 1950s until her retirement in 1980.
Early in Dr. Parizeau’s career, she once stayed up all night with a young boy with asthma, hand-ventilating him with an Ambu bag because there were not enough ventilators that night. Medicine has evolved dramatically since then, but the lasting impression of such memories inspired her to make several gifts to VHF during her lifetime.
Dr. Parizeau’s gifts supported vital equipment purchases, including a leading-edge monitoring system that measures carbon dioxide levels in the blood, providing doctors with real-time information about the quality of a patient’s breathing.
Dr. Parizeau knew that care teams need access to leading-edge equipment to ensure patients receive the best possible care.
After she retired from medicine, Dr. Parizeau’s instincts continued to guide her to help people. “For me, it’s all about the patients,” she told VHF in 2013, and she continued to be a generous supporter of world-class healthcare on Vancouver Island for the rest of her life. And, thanks to a gift left in her will, patients will continue to benefit tremendously from Dr. Parizeau’s legacy.
We are so grateful to Dr. Parizeau and her family. To recognize her commitment to medicine, the surgical staff room at Victoria General Hospital was named in her honour. This tribute serves as a reminder of the importance of compassion and generosity—two qualities she embodied to the fullest. Dr. Parizeau was a kindhearted, passionate visionary, and our community will feel the impact of her contributions for years to come.
Like Dr. Parizeau, You Can Make a Difference Through a Gift in Your Will
By leaving a gift to VHF in your will, you can make a bigger contribution than you ever thought possible to support our local caregivers and help provide them with the tools they need to care for their patients.
Many donors believe that they can’t support both their loved ones and their favourite cause in their will. The truth is, just a small percentage of your estate left to charity can have a big impact, while still leaving the majority for loved ones. Choosing to support your charity can also reduce and, in some cases, even eliminate the taxes to be paid.
You don’t need to be wealthy to make a gift to charity in your will. Regardless of the size of your estate, you can be a part of this powerful movement for change. Learn more about the legacy you can create.
Your Role in the Future of Healthcare
Inspired by Dr. Parizeau’s story and interested in making a gift to our local hospitals in your estate? Donating to our hospitals in your will, including a gift of annuities or real estate, is one of the greatest acts of generosity you can make. No great wealth is required to give, just the willingness to plan.
If you want more information, you or your financial adviser can talk to our Manager of Leadership & Legacy Giving, Beth Cairns, by email vhf@islandhealth.ca or by phone at 250-519-1750. Or, visit our website to learn more: victoriahf.ca/will-and-estates.
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