Giving back to the community is something that seems to come naturally to Bill and Mary Wright. The Wrights are annual donors to the Tri-City Hospital Foundation and also contribute their personal time every week volunteering for the hospital
auxiliary.

“We feel that it is important to give back to the community financially, as well as through volunteering,” Mary explains. “We are so blessed in our lives and are very thankful, particularly
for our hospital.”

Bill and Mary first met back in 1978 while working for the Long Beach Unified School District. After Bill’s secretary shared with him that Mary was single, Bill wasted no time. He asked Mary to the symphony that very day and the rest, as they say, is history.

The Wrights moved to Oceanside back in 1989 but did not visit Tri-City Medical Center for nearly a decade. “I was cleaning windows one afternoon and started feeling sick,” Bill recalls.“I decided to skip lunch and lie down.” Bill stops and smiles at Mary, “I never miss a meal so Mary knew something was wrong.”

Mary rushed Bill to Tri-City’s Emergency Department where he was quickly diagnosed and stabilized for acute cardiac arrest. He eventually underwent dual bypass surgery. “The doctors and nurses were terrific,”Mary recalls. “They were so compassionate, warm and caring.” Following Bill’s cardiac surgery the couple was naturally nervous. “Neither of us had any experience with heart disease,” Mary admits. “That’s when the discharge nurse told us about the CardiacWellness Center. They taught us everything from the correct diet to the right way to exercise—it literally changed our lives.”

So when theWrights became annual donors in 2000, they knew exactly where they wanted to designate their gift—Tri-City’s Cardiac Wellness Center. “Dr. Folkerth (Bill’s cardiothoracic surgeon) saved my husband’s life.” Mary explains. “But the cardiac rehabilitation program made sure he’d be around for years to come.”

Bill and Mary Wright are a refreshingly positive and generous couple who touch the lives of everyone they meet. The thought of them being around for a long time is a good thing— for Tri-City Medical Center, as well as the community.