O'Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center Magazine | Page 68

AMBASSADORS OF HOPE
■❚ PHILANTHROPY
AMBASSADORS OF HOPE
BY AMY W . RICHARDSON
Courtesy of the Parnell Family .
Allene and Foots Parnell will be recognized for their longstanding commitment as 2024 Director ’ s Circle honorees at the annual ArtBLINK gala in February . RIGHT : The Parnell family in 2002 : Allene , daughter Carleton , Foots and daughter Allene .
At the turn of the millennium , cancer patients in Alabama received radiation therapy treatment at the Lurleen B . Wallace Tumor Institute . However , the 30-year-old facility was no longer a match for the volume of patients seen from across the state . By 2005 , a new radiation oncology center was long overdue .
L . C . “ Foots ” Parnell III , a newer member of the O ’ Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center ’ s Advisory Board at the time , was committed to the vision of a better , brighter , state-of-the art facility fit for the 21st century .
He , along with friends Dianne Mooney and Barbara Royal , became co-chairs of a 15-member steering committee to lead a $ 15 million fundraising campaign called “ Rays of Hope ” to establish this new facility at UAB .
“ This project is vital to future quality cancer care in Alabama ,” stated their initial campaign letter recruiting Ambassadors of Hope . The campaign was reminiscent of the Courage Crusaders , which was a group of supporters who rallied to raise $ 5 million to establish the state ’ s first cancer center in honor of Governor Lurleen Wallace , who died of cancer in 1968 .
Parnell marveled at how the community came together to support the newest effort . “ It was really a great experience ,” he recalled . “ We knew we could raise the money . It was just a matter of how long it would take .”
Chip Hazelrig , a childhood neighbor and good friend of Parnell ’ s , made the initial gift of $ 5 million and named the new building the Hazelrig-Salter Radiation Oncology Center in honor of his late parents , Virginia and William Hazelrig , and their longtime friends , physicians Paul and Merle Salter . Merle Salter , M . D ., was chair of UAB ’ s Department of Radiation Oncology from 1986 to 1995 .
More than 400 supporters ultimately joined the cause and construction began in January 2007 at 18th Street and 6th Avenue South across from the Wallace Tumor Institute . The 50,000-square-foot , two-story world-class radiation treatment and research facility was dedicated three years later on February 28 , 2010 .
A VISION OF HOPE
A managing member of InterFirst Capital LLC , Parnell is in the commercial mortgage banking business but comes from a long line of physicians . He said his roots in medicine piqued his interest in the O ’ Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center ’ s mission , but it was his oldest daughter Carleton ’ s battle with sarcoma that shaped his personal vision for what a treatment facility should offer patients — especially children — including a separate waiting area , light-filled spaces and a more comfortable environment overall .
“ Part of the cure is feeling good . If your environment is appealing , then you are immediately going to feel better ,” Parnell said .
Comforts the Ambassadors of Hope envisioned are realized today in the Jim Limbaugh Family Park of Hope outside the center ’ s front doors , the two-story wall of windows in the waiting area , and the colorful murals on treatment room ceilings .
Parnell and his wife , Allene , contributed the murals in honor of Carleton , who passed away in July 2002 at the age of 22 .
“ If a person is laying down on a table being treated , rather than looking up at acoustical tiles , they are looking up at artwork ,” Parnell said . “ Anything we could do to make a patient feel better about their situation was our objective .”
Nearly two decades since the Rays of Hope campaign kicked off , Parnell remains a dedicated member of the Advisory Board and served as president from 2011 to 2012 . He and Allene will be recognized for their longstanding commitment as 2024 Director ’ s Circle honorees at the annual ArtBLINK gala in February .
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