Planned Gift to Fund Head and Neck Research and Clinical Care at Fox Chase

John M. Ballinger, Jr. lived with head and neck cancer for 11 years. Last spring he knew he was nearing the end of his life, but the welfare of others was on his mind. "In waiting rooms over the years, I've seen so many patients worse off than me," he explained at the time. "I want treatment to be better for them."

He got in touch with Fox Chase gift officer George Beschen, informing him of his plan to leave $350,000 to head and neck research and clinical care at Fox Chase. But when he and Beschen met in person a few weeks later, his gift intention had grown to $750,000. "I changed some things around [in my IRA]," he said, grinning wide enough for it to register under his mask.

A retired chemist in his family-run business in the petroleum industry, Ballinger had been a reliable annual donor—giving between $3,000 and $5,000. He made the gifts in honor of his care team, led by John "Drew" Ridge, MD, and also that of his mother, Elsie, a Fox Chase head and neck cancer patient decades earlier.

“We happened to be standing next to Fox Chase's donor recognition wall as we spoke about his gift, and I indicated on the wall where his name would move to—and in bigger type," said Beschen. "But John said, 'That's too big ... just leave my name where it is.' He had no interest in how this act reflected on him—he was solely focused on those patients who had made such an impression on him."

Mr. Ballinger died in June 2022 at the age of 67. His gift is now one of the largest single gifts to head and neck cancer at Fox Chase. Cecelia E. Schmalbach, MD, MSc, FACS, the recently hired Chief of Head & Neck Surgery at Fox Chase, said that she’s planning to leverage this gift for maximum impact to benefit both patients and their physicians. Her first priority is the purchase of two new endoscopy towers, but Mr. Ballinger’s generosity will reverberate for many years.

“The Fox Chase mission was important to John, and a planned gift was an ideal way for him to express that,” Beschen said.

Planned gifts can be made as a bequest, life insurance policy, retirement account, various financial vehicles, or select gifts of real estate. For more information on making a planned gift to Fox Chase, visit fccc.giftplans.org.