Tony D’Alessandro is remembered by his family as dependable, easy going, and adoring of his grandkids. He worked hard, supported his family, and was always there for them.

The morning Tony suffered from a stroke, he had been to Humber River Hospital visiting a friend. As he was leaving, he observed to his family, “The staff here are so nice!” He didn’t know yet that he would be coming back later that evening.

Tony in Florida with his granddaughters Martina and Siena.

Tony spent the last three weeks of his life at Humber River Hospital – his first and only time admitted to a hospital. He watched the Leafs play from his room, and developed a nice rapport with the nurses.

“When I would visit, the nurses would tell me how nice he was,” recalls Paola, one of Tony’s four daughters, “The kindness went both ways.”

“The staff treated my dad like a person,” says his daughter Marisa, “They used his name. As a teacher, I know the importance of simply knowing and using someone’s name. They treated us like a family. Anything we asked about they looked into for us.”

When Tony D’Alessandro passed away, the family knew right away that they wanted donations to go to Humber.

In lieu of flowers, his family asked others to make donations to Humber River Hospital Foundation.

“We grew up in this community,” says Marisa. “My family has lived here for 50 years. My dad still felt like he was at home at Humber, and it was easy for my mom to get to the Hospital to stay with him. It reinvigorated my feelings towards the health system. I’m so glad this Hospital is in our community.”

Tribute gifts are one of many ways families like the D’Alessandro’s choose to honour and remember their loved ones. The community benefits from the enhanced care provided by staff and physicians at Humber River Hospital, and the family of the person memorialized benefits from the knowledge that their loved one’s life, achievements, and beliefs have made a difference to the health of their community. Upon receipt of tribute gifts, an e-card or printed card will be sent to the honouree’s next of kin to acknowledge your special gift. To make an In Memory donation, click here or contact Saneh Singh, Annual Development Coordinator, at sansingh@hrh.ca or 416-242-1000 ext. 81517.

Thank you to the D’Alessandro family for sharing their story, and for choosing to support Humber River Hospital Foundation.