Sisters leave healing garden and 7-figure legacy at Saddleback Medical Center
LAGUNA HILLS — For long-term care patients or those with nosocomephobia — the fear of hospitals — nervous lobbies and antiseptic-slathered floors may make it seem like the perfectly sterile, white walls are closing in, making any length of a hospital stay even longer or worse than it may be.
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Two sisters who received end-of-life care at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center wanted to alleviate the stress attributed to hospital visits, for both patients and their families.
Beginning in 2004, Doreen and Colleen Blair began donating to the Saddleback Medical Center Foundation. Doreen — who listed the foundation as a beneficiary to her trust — designated a portion of her trust monies toward a rooftop healing garden, so that there was “something beautiful to enjoy,” a press release stated.
Completed May 6, the Blair sisters’ hopes have been fulfilled, post-mortem.
What were once boxes showcasing white-tile rooftop now act as indoor terrariums, housing a greenscape of grass, small trees and mixed, leafy textures potted and arranged in pods, ringed in decorative white rock. Cascading succulents and the occasional pop of coral contrast the grass-bed base.
“We know firsthand how bringing the serenity of nature into an indoor setting helps ease the stress of patients and their families,” said Cecilia Belew, president of the Saddleback Medical Center Foundation. “Our hardworking staff benefits from the beauty and serenity as well.”
The overall project features two healing gardens wrapped around a hallway, located on the second floor. Patients staying in rooms located at 2 West and 2 East as well as parents visiting their babies in the neonatal intensive care unit have the easiest access to the gardens, Melissa Centeno, director of Fund Development, said.
Installation took approximately three months and was constructed by Corona del Mar-based business Roger’s Gardens, Belew said.
A glass plaque crediting the Blair sisters formally leaves their mark long after their deaths, which took place ten years apart in 2006 and 2016; respectively, Colleen was 79, and Doreen 87.
Having grown up in the Bishop and Mammoth area of California, Doreen Blair shared frequent stories of her and her sisters’ adventures both hiking and swimming outdoors.
Belew noted that their mountain-range roots developed a deep appreciation of nature, which benefited Colleen Blair in her career as a registered nurse.
“She knew that natural surroundings could help in the healing process of patients,” Belew said.
In total, the Blair sisters donated a seven-figure gift to the hospital through their estate, Belew said.
Their legacy lives on through the hospital’s recent I’MAGINE space redesign project featuring new private patient rooms, a new hybrid operating suite and the healing gardens. Additionally, part of their donation funded the neonatal intensive care unit.
“Their gift was a shining example of how deeply they felt about the healing effects of nature and their selflessness for the greater good,” Belew said.