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UPMC Hillman Cancer Center patients, family members receive free parking thanks to nonprofit
CBS News • • health
Key Points:
- UPMC Hillman Cancer Center offered free parking on Tuesday for patients and family members, a gesture made possible by a non-profit honoring Kay Boyd-Rowe, a former patient.
- Kay was diagnosed with ocular melanoma in 1999, and during her treatment, someone generously paid for the Rowes' parking, inspiring Kay to want to pay it forward someday.
- After Kay's death in 2023, her husband Robin founded Kay Days, a non-profit that covers parking costs for cancer patients on select days, including the week of Kay's birthday.
- The initiative has benefited over 10,000 vehicles at Hillman and extends support to other healthcare facilities, providing gas cards and parking vouchers to patients referred for advanced treatment.
- Kay's doctor, Dr. Yana Najjar, praised the effort as reflective of Kay's fighting spirit and kindness, emphasizing that the initiative embodies Kay's life motto: "love first."
