Gilbert Gives Back to Help our Families

Gilbert Vice was 6 years old when he first came to Cincinnati Children's. He remembers having surgery to remove a cyst from his neck and making mischief with another patient when they were playing with a wheelchair in the hallway.

But it wasn't until he became a father that he truly understood the impact of our care.

"My child spent their first four weeks of life in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit," Gilbert says. Like many preemies they required supplemental oxygen, and was suspected of having necrotizing enterocolitis, a life-threatening condition.

Yet even during some of their darkest hours, Gilbert and his wife, Phyllis, were able to count their blessings.

"I was lucky to have a good job and good insurance," he says. "While we were at the hospital, we met a lot of other parents who weren't so lucky. There were caps on the number of days their insurance would pay for the hospital stay. Or they didn't have any insurance at all. So many families were wondering how they were going to pay for their child's care."

Gilbert and his wife watched as their child grew, and the doctors agreed they were strong enough to go home. And when they did, they continued to put on even more weight and progress normally. They knew it could've been a very different outcome had they not received the expert care they got from Cincinnati Children's.

Over the years Gilbert and his family lived frugally. He was always mindful about the future, saving in his 401K plan. Since Gilbert is older than 70-and-a-half, there are required minimum distributions (RMD) he must from his account take annually. Among other charities, he donates part of his RMD directly to Cincinnati Children's as qualified charitable distributions. This provides tax advantages to his family, while allowing him to help those who are less fortunate.

"Because of my experience meeting people in the NICU, I know how important it is to give back," Gilbert says. "It really touches you when you're in that situation. I always wanted to help in any way that I could."

And because Gilbert knows that every parent, regardless of their financial situation, just wants their child to get better, he will continue his legacy after he and his wife pass away. He has named Cincinnati Children's as a beneficiary of his IRA, which will help us improve the lives of children and families who rely on us for generations to come.

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