A Second Chance at Life Strengthens Connection to Philanthropy
In early 2000, after months of worsening headaches and a severe dizzy spell, an MRI revealed Alan Rosenberg had a mass the size of a tennis ball in his brain. He was diagnosed with a high Grade 3 brain tumor and given a minimal chance of survival beyond five years.
At the time, Alan and his wife, Bea, had three young daughters, ages 12, 3 and 2. Alan admits that “the thought that I might miss what was ahead for my children caused me significant stress.”
Alan underwent surgery to remove the tumor and started radiation and chemotherapy at the University of Louisville’s Brown Cancer Center (BCC). Following treatment and medical opinions on his choices, he started Temodar, a newly FDA approved chemotherapy medication which he continued taking for six years. Today, against the odds, Alan has a second chance at life and remains cancer free.
The experience invigorated a philanthropic commitment in Bea and Alan, where Alan now serves on the Board of Directors of Gilda’s Club of Kentuckiana and as the Philanthropy Co-Chair of the Regional Cancer Center Committee (an entity with close ties to the BCC).
“Unfortunately, many of our family members have also had cancer,” Alan says. “I was lucky. If I can support research which facilitates cures and help others who face similar circumstances, I’m going to do it.”
Bea and Alan annually support the BCC and in 2014, became Conn Legacy Society members by naming a portion of Bea’s IRA to help cancer research.
“We were given time together to see our children grow, graduate college and now also have grandchildren of their own. We were raised to care for others, and philanthropy is just one way we’ll keep doing that,” says Bea, who is a CPA/Partner with Deming, Malone, Livesay, and Ostroff.
Bea serves on UofL’s Planned Giving Advisory Council and uses her tax expertise to assist clients in making smart decisions related to charitable planning.
Alan practiced professionally for close to 40 years as a Partner and CPA and took the opportunity to retire early from Mountjoy, Chilton and Medley, CPAs. Friends and family have called on him for support and guidance in their own battles with cancer, and he and Bea both strive to give hope to those who are facing the same grim experience they once overcame.
Bea will retire later this year and she and Alan are excited for the next chapter of their lives with plans to travel more and spend quality time with family.
If you’d like to use your retirement plan assests to leave a lasting impression of your compassion, we would be honored to discuss how you can make a difference at the University of Louisville. Your generous legacy gift could help us continue to conduct life-changing research. Please contact Kathryn J. Sides, M.A., CFRE, CAP® at (502) 852-5051 or plannedgifts@louisville.edu to learn more.