Stronger Together: Elevating Awareness to Honor Family

The passion to give started decades ago when Sharon Shahid, who grew up in St. Louis with her large extended family, witnessed her cousin Renee struggle with the effects of sickle cell disease. Living most of her adult life in Washington, D.C., Sharon fondly recalls memories of her cousins playing together for hours. Unfortunately, Renee was unable to join in on the fun and wasn't allowed to do simple things like jump rope. Any stress on her body, even playing, could send her into a crisis. When these sickle cell crises did occur, she would spend time at St. Louis Children's Hospital - and away from her family. It still upsets Sharon today when she reflects on those times and how difficult that must have been for Renee and her parents.

When Renee passed away as an adult the same week as the tragic events of September 11, 2001, Sharon, a former writer and editor for USA Today and current museum editor, writer and consultant, was unable to fly back to St. Louis to attend her funeral services. She was heartbroken. Soon after, their very large family attempted to coordinate and establish a scholarship in Renee's honor, but they ran into roadblocks. Sharon felt compelled to honor Renee's memory and it was then that she decided to become a donor to St. Louis Children's Hospital and support the ongoing treatments and research for others suffering from sickle cell disease.

Fast forward to 2020 and COVID-19 was changing lives all over the world. Sharon felt very unsettled as she was isolated in a city away from her family. She was unable to see her mother in person for over a year and it was a time when many people were forced to think about mortality and their legacy. Sharon decided to not only update her will, but to explore ways to give back to places that transformed her life. She went through a process of prioritizing and reflecting on the community that was near and dear to her heart. As a child growing up in the city of St. Louis, Sharon was very grateful for the public library, Saint Louis Zoo and Saint Louis Art Museum. She decided she wanted to give back to the institutions that gave so much to her as a child and to a city where many of her nieces and nephews were growing up. During this reflection, she couldn't help but think of her sweet cousin Renee and her time spent at St. Louis Children's Hospital. Sharon contacted the gift planning manager at St. Louis Children's Hospital Foundation and was connected to Michael Geis of Thompson & Associates. After a few virtual meetings with Michael, Sharon was able to establish a donation through her 401(k) retirement plan.

Sharon doesn't typically like to talk about money but going through the process with Thompson & Associates made her feel at ease. Estate planning is personal and can be scary, but Sharon says Michael was warm and understanding as they worked through a plan to donate what she could to an institution that did so much to keep her cousin healthy and living for as long as possible. Growing up in a working-class family in St. Louis city, she is grateful that with education she was able to expand her horizons and now be in a position to give back and honor Renee's memory. Sharon always thought only millionaires could leave this type of legacy, but she learned during the planning with Thompson & Associates that anyone can make generous gifts with proper planning.

Sharon selected St. Louis Children's for her planned gift because of their commitment and advances in sickle cell research, and she hopes to help other children suffering from this life-altering disease. She is confident that with advanced research and treatments, kids diagnosed today will not have to go through the same suffering that Renee did many decades ago.