Stan and Barbara Clark at their ranch

Stan and Barbara Clark

Grateful Patients Creating a Lasting Legacy with a Gracious Planned Gift

Stan and Barbara Clark were accustomed to the hustle and bustle of living in Los Angeles. In the midst of city life, they knew that their upcoming transition to a cattle ranch on the Central Coast would mean big changes in their lifestyle. What they didn’t see coming was the tachycardia that would cause Stan’s heart to beat at a life-threatening rate, and the close proximity of a top hospital that would be ready to help him. 

Stan and Barbara Clark relocated to the Central Coast 15 years ago. While they initially made the move in order to settle down and retire, their relocation to a 3,000-acre cattle ranch north of Paso Robles has kept them busy in a new way. The Clarks’ property, known as San Bartolome Ranch, is located on the South Shore of Lake San Antonio and includes three homes.

Now, as the couple looks to the future, the Clarks recognize the opportunity to make an impactful, lasting gift to French Hospital – a planned gift of a portion of the proceeds from the eventual sale of their ranch as established in their Charitable Remainder Trust. When the Ranch eventually sells, whether during their lifetime or after, the trust provides for a portion of the sale to go directly to the French Hospital Medical Center Foundation.

The decision to make such a significant contribution comes as a result of the care that Stan received when he unexpectedly had to be taken by ambulance to French Hospital. Upon completing an EKG in a Templeton office, he was suddenly told by his doctor that he was in the midst of having a heart attack.

As it turned out, Stan was not having a heart attack, but his heart rate was so high that it mistakenly passed for one. The team at French Hospital quickly responded with an emergency cardioversion to lower Stan’s heart rate to a stable level. “When I got there, there was no waiting around,” says Stan. “They took me right in and started working on me.” 

Barbara, who had also previously dealt with heart complications in Los Angeles, is excited to contribute to French Hospital knowing that people who will need similar treatments in the future can receive that high quality care without leaving San Luis Obispo County. 

“We were initially feeling pressure from our family back in LA,” recalls Barbara. “They were worried we weren’t going to have the ability to find quality care here, and they wanted us to return south. We had never needed a hospital in this area before, but when we did need one, we were pleased to find there was a great one so close by.”

The Clarks were so appreciative of the exceptional care they received at French Hospital that they made an initial generous contribution to support the “French – Well into the Future” capital campaign. As their relationship with the hospital continued to develop, the Clark’s made the decision to establish this significant estate gift through their Charitable Remainder Trust, a gift of extreme generosity that will benefit FHMC patients for years to come. The couple is pleased to join the Foundation’s Legacy Circle, which consists of donors who have left a legacy by establishing an estate gift to benefit French Hospital.
 

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