A Quiet Supporter’s Lasting Legacy

Illa G. Brustman made an extraordinary gift to Lankenau Medical Center that she knew would come as a pleasant surprise.

Mrs. Brustman, a Narberth resident and corporate librarian for General Electric, was a grateful patient who contributed modest donations to Lankenau over the years. Upon her passing in 2009, Lankenau Medical Center Foundation learned that Mrs. Brustman had left a bequest and the residue of her estate to Lankenau, to the sum of more than $1 million.

Mrs. Brustman indicated that her gift should support research, an integral part of Lankenau’s mission as a medical center. In keeping with this wish, her donation has gone on to benefit patients worldwide through support of investigative scientific work within the Preclinical Research Facility at Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR).

The Preclinical Research Facility is a state-of-the-art laboratory complex that allows LIMR scientists to perform crucial early investigations involved in discovery and development of new drugs, medical tests, and medical devices. It also enables major research funded by the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies.

The late Rita Katten, a longtime friend of Mrs. Brustman and a steadfast Lankenau volunteer, described Mrs. Brustman as “the kind of friend everyone would want close by—generous and thoughtful, considerate and caring by inclination.” As Ms. Katten added, “She didn’t do things halfway.”

Mrs. Brustman’s gift was inspired by a love of mankind. She likely never considered the lasting legacy of her exceptional generosity, but the selflessness of her bequest captured the attention of the Lankenau Medical Center family and has gone on to benefit—and will continue to benefit—patients both near and far.