Giving from the heart
September 13, 2016Nancy Deters
If anyone understands the importance of a healthy heart, it’s Nancy Deters. She had a pacemaker, a defibrillator, and then a heart transplant in 2000. Her husband, Lee, and daughter Kim both had heart problems as well.
It was in their memories that Nancy chose to use her donor-advised fund at the Community Foundation to place AEDs—automated external defibrillators—at Fremont Christian School and the former Providence Christian High School.
“An AED would have kept Lee alive,” said Nancy. “A defibrillator would have saved him. They’re wonderful things.”
The grant from the Lee and Nancy Deters Family Fund has helped to put more local people within life-saving distance of an AED. It’s a gift that honors Lee and Kim and gives back to the community where the Deters raised a family and built a business.
“It’s such a nice community,” said Nancy. “People look out for people.”
“She gives back,” said Nancy’s daughter Kathy of her mom. She smiled and added, “I’m always telling her, ‘You should go on a trip or something,’ but no.”
“It’s because God has given me so much,” explained Nancy, who identifies her faith and the prayers of friends and neighbors as her anchors through times of illness and grief.
“It seems like the more you give, the more you get back,” Nancy added. “When you count up your blessings, there are more blessings than problems.”
