Rose Mary Cappellari (1920 - 2012) was an American with an interest in Global philanthropy.

 

I moved to Hartsville to practice medicine about ten years ago, and for almost 10 years, Mrs. Cappellari was my patient. It seems so long ago, and yet it also seems like just yesterday when she walked into my office for the first time. I remember the story she later told of how she had decided to become my patient. From the beginning, I knew it was not going to be a usual patient-doctor relationship. There were days that we would be in the office an hour after the staff had left. Most of the time, she just wanted to talk.

Soon enough, I found out more about Mrs. Cappellari. Mrs. Cappellari was a philanthropist, who made generous contributions to charities in the US, and around the world each year. One area where her generousity did not extend was Africa, and she wanted to donate money for charity work in Africa. As it turned out, I had an affilliation with this foundation that was intended for such work in Ghana, even though it was not doing much. She asked if I would like her to donate money towards people of need in Ghana. Because she was my patient, and because of concerns over conflict of interest and ethical considerations, I declined to accept her donations. It took three years, but she finally convinced me that her donations were not meant for me, but for needy people. Over the last 6 years, Mrs. Cappellari’s donations have supported an orphanage and helped poor women to establish businesses, and helped to dig wells to provide clean water to poor rural communities in Ghana. “You must help the poor” was her favorite saying. She cared about the poor.

Mrs. Cappellari stands out as one of the special patients I have met in my career. Every visit would end in a hug, and years after our initial meeting, she would comment about the shock on my face when she first hugged me. She teased about how stiff and uneasy I was, but she was proud that she was able to loosen me up. Her interest in me was not just that of a patient seeking healing and wellbeing from her doctor. Sometimes, it felt as if she were the doctor. “You are working too much, Dr. Quaye.” “You are getting too thin, don’t you eat enough?” On a few occasions, before her health declined, she brought lunch for my staff and me. She cared about my wellbeing, and it showed in her interactions with me.

I have met few people as single minded, persistent and generous as Mrs. Cappellari. When she decided that she wanted to donate money to help the needy in Africa, she was going to do it, and she was persistent until I came to my senses. Her single minded and persistent generosity has meant blessings to people who would otherwise be without. Her kindness has been a blessing, not only to the people who benefited from her generosity, but to me and my family back home in Ghana. I have seen the joy her gifts brought others, and I have been blessed in the process.

 

Emmanuel Quaye, MD