A Greer family has given a $3 million gift to the Prisma Health Cancer Institute to improve cancer care across the Upstate.
The donation is from John and Kimberly Kopchinski, of Greer, and will be used to create more patient treatment spaces and expand a free program that assesses cancer risk and promotes early detection. The gift is the largest single donation to the Prisma Health Cancer Institute in the Upstate.
Over the past seven years, Kimberly Kopchinski, a careful eater who exercises often and never smoked, has been diagnosed and treated for four different cancers – lung, thyroid, blood and jaw cancer. After visiting cancer centers across the U.S., she chose to have all four cancers treated at Prisma Health Cancer Institute.
“People think they need to travel far away for the care they need – they don’t. It’s right here, and it is extraordinary,” Kimberly Kopchinski said. “The level of care we’ve received here – in tandem with the true love and concern we’ve experienced – has been amazing. Everyone says you ‘have to go to a certain place’ or you’ve got to see a ‘famous’ doctor, but the best are already right here. At so many other places, you’re just a number – here, you feel like family. We can’t thank our doctors, nurses and clinical staff enough for their care, kindness and love.”
With the family’s gift, John Kopchinski hopes Prisma Health Center Institute can expand its ability to help patients and families just like his.
“If you need advanced medical treatment, you don’t have to go to Charlotte, you don’t have to go to Atlanta, you don’t have to go to Charleston. It’s available right here in Greenville and Kim is a living example of that,” John Kopchinski said.
The first improvements will be made at Prisma Health Cancer Institute – Eastside Center, where Kimberly’s care has been based. Changes will include interior enhancements, new infusion chairs and an outdoor space for patients and families. The gift will also be used to offset ongoing educational costs for nurses, and enhancements will also be made at the other Prisma Health Cancer Institute sites in the Upstate.
Additionally, the donation will help Prisma Health expand enrollment in Prevent Cancer Greenville. The initiative, which has more than 1,000 participants, provides a comprehensive cancer risk assessment through free wellness screenings.
The Kopchinski’s, their four children, family members and friends gathered earlier this month to thank the extended care team who made her survival possible and to dedicate the Eastside practice as the Kimberly Kopchinski Care Center. The Kopchinski family is also dedicating efforts to a new philanthropic venture, GiveByCruising, combining travel with a commitment to funding cancer research.
“When you’re first told you have cancer, it is a hard day,” said Kimberly Kopchinski. “But when you come here and have these people who genuinely care about you and are so kind, it truly makes a world of difference. From the surgeons, oncologists and nurses to the receptionists and the team who do the weekly blood draws, they were all just wonderful.”
