On April 24, Cindi Bigelow, president and CEO of Bigelow Tea in Fairfield, dedicated a conference room at Bridgeport Hospital’s Norma Pfriem Breast Center where patients and their families can meet with doctors and navigators to discuss their diagnoses and the path forward. With support from the Bigelow family, the breast cancer center will make renovations to the room to create a more comfortable atmosphere for patients and their families. The gift was made in honor of Bigelow’s late father, David C. Bigelow, who, with her mother, Eunice, has been a generous supporter of the center. A plaque commemorating their gift will be displayed as well.
Cindi Bigelow presented a check for $150,000 to patient care services to aid the center’s mission that everyone who needs it can receive care, regardless of their ability to pay. (The center provides nearly 1,500 uninsured and underinsured women with financial assistance for patient care annually.) A throng of friends, employees and supporters were on hand to honor the Bigelows.
“When my dad passed, we learned he wanted to give back to a specific group of organizations,” Bigelow said. “The Norma Pfriem Breast Center was one of them. But we realize that this is so small in comparison to all the good work that everyone does here every day. We’re proud to support you.”
Donna Twist, Ph.D., the center’s executive director, thanked the Bigelows. “Your generosity is amazing,” she said. “It’s a very vulnerable time for patients when they meet with providers in the conference room. The setting can make all the difference. We’re so grateful to you.”
One of only 500 sites accredited by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), the center provides a wide range of diagnostic care and treatment at its Bridgeport Hospital, Fairfield and Trumbull locations, including medical oncology, surgical and chemotherapy services, plastic surgery, mammography and radiation therapy, genetic risk assessment and clinical trial participation as well as wellness services like yoga, nutrition counseling and massage.
Bridgeport Hospital, part of Yale New Haven Health, is a nonprofit acute-care hospital with two campuses (plus 42 beds licensed to Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital). Both Bridgeport Hospital and the Milford campus serve patients throughout Fairfield and New Haven counties. The hospital admits more than 23,000 patients and provides nearly 350,000 outpatient treatments annually. The Connecticut Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital is the only burn center in the state and one of only 64 verified burn centers in the United States.
For more, visit www.bridgeporthospital.org.
