A promise Jim Thornton made to his wife, Donna, years ago will soon help other families experience comfort, dignity and compassionate care at the end of life. A seven-figure gift from Thornton to the Riverside Foundation will support the creation of The Donna S. Thornton Hospice Home, a four-room hospice home to be located on the campus of Warwick Forest, a Riverside Senior Living Community in Newport News.
The gift honors Donna, Jim’s high school sweetheart and wife of nearly 56 years, who developed Alzheimer’s disease later in life. Years before her illness progressed, Donna told Jim that if her health ever significantly declined, she wanted to remain at home.
Jim promised her she would.
With support from Riverside’s palliative care and hospice teams, he was able to keep that promise. The experience left Jim deeply grateful for the professionals who cared for Donna and supported him as her caregiver and thinking about families for whom remaining at home may not be possible.
“We want it to be known as a home, not a house, not an office, not a facility,” Thornton said. “It needs to feel like home.”
The Donna S. Thornton Hospice Home will provide an intimate setting for patients whose medical, caregiving or family circumstances make receiving hospice care in their own residence difficult or impossible. The four private rooms will provide a peaceful environment where patients can receive specialized end-of-life care and families can focus on spending meaningful time together.
“Jim’s gift is an extraordinary example of what happens when gratitude becomes generosity,” said Kristen Witt, Vice President of the Riverside Health Foundation. “He wanted to honor Donna, recognize the hospice professionals who cared for them and make that same compassion available to families he may never meet. Through this home, Donna’s legacy of caring for others will continue for generations.”
Thornton’s experience also transformed his understanding of hospice. He recalled initially thinking hospice was “a dirty word” and feeling frightened by what it represented. Over time, the care his family received changed his perspective.
Today, his message to others is simple: “Embrace it, not be afraid of it.”
“The Donna S. Thornton Hospice Home will give families another choice when remaining in their own home is no longer possible,” said Ed Heckler, Executive Vice President, Support Operations and Lifelong Health, Riverside Health. “It will allow our hospice team to provide specialized care in a setting intentionally designed to feel like home, while giving families the opportunity to focus less on the demands of caregiving and more on simply being present with the person they love.”
For Jim, the gift ultimately comes back to the values he and Donna shared.
“I’ve worked hard and Donna worked hard. We’ve been blessed,” he said. “I think it’s important to give back. I think you’re given things to give things.”
Asked what Donna would think about the hospice home bearing her name, Jim had little doubt.
“She would heartily approve of this,” he said. “I’m 100…1000% sure of that.”
Read more about the story of Jim and Donna and the promise behind The Donna S. Thornton Hospice Home.
Discover the story and vision behind The Donna S. Thornton Hospice Home and learn how it will bring comfort, dignity, and compassionate care to patients and families at the end of life.