STRONG TOGETHER: ELEVATING AWARENESS TO HONOR FAMILY

The passion to give started decades ago when Sharon Shahid, who grew up in St. Louis, witnessed her cousin Renee struggle with the effects of sickle cell disease. Sharon fondly recalls memories of playing with cousins, but unfortunately, Renee was unable to join in on the fun because any stress on her body could send her into a crisis. When these sickle cell crises did occur, she would spend time at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Sharon was heartbroken when Renee passed away in 2001. She felt compelled to honor Renee’s memory and became a donor to St. Louis Children’s Hospital to support kids living with sickle cell disease. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sharon decided to explore ways to give back to the places that transformed her life. During this reflection, she couldn’t help but think of her cousin Renee.

“I always thought only millionaires could leave this type of legacy, but I learned during the planning process that anyone can make generous gifts with proper planning.”

Sharon contacted St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation and decided to make St. Louis Children’s a beneficiary of her 401(k) retirement plan. 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.