A long lasting legacy of advocating
Her journey into philanthropy was inspired by her late-husband James Ray Hildebrand, who suffered a debilitating stroke in 2008 and passed away two years later.
After Ray’s passing in 2010, Suzanne was determined to make a difference by volunteering her time to contribute to the well-being of the community. At that time, San Antonio lacked the capability to assess or care for stroke victims.
With the City’s high cases of diabetes and stroke, Suzanne recognized the urgency for local hospitals to have stroke centers in their facilities.
“We didn’t have anything in place to take care of our community, I was fortunate to be able to airlift Ray to a hospital in Austin, but what about all these individuals who have nothing and they’re just stuck languishing.” Hildebrand said.
Committed to ensuring families had the proper resources, Suzanne began a journey toward philanthropy, which would later contribute to the greater good of health care in San Antonio.
Over the next several years, she met with healthcare leaders like George B. Hernández Jr., former Chief Executive Officer of University Health and Dr. Ronald Stewart specialist in Surgical Critical Care at University Health, to develop plans for stroke centers in local hospitals. Suzanne also expressed thanks to Dr. Stewart for guiding and connecting her with the right people to implement their stroke care initiatives.
Today the Joint Commission certifies 12 hospitals in San Antonio as stroke centers. Three of those 12 centers are Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSC).
Over time, University Health emerged as a premier CSC in San Antonio. With the help of Suzanne, the hospital facilitates stroke support groups within its program and invites different specialties to speak each month. Topics range from physical therapy, speech therapy and art therapy, to playing brain games and other educational presentations.
In addition to being instrumental in establishing stroke support groups, Suzanne launched the James Ray Hildebrand Stroke Fund at University Health Foundation. Her financial gift assists families affected by stroke.
Philanthropy is more than just money. It’s the gift of time, effort, and heart from people like Suzanne.
By providing essential resources and advocating for improved medical services, Suzanne hopes to prevent other families from experiencing the same hardships she faced. Her work continues to inspire many, proving that out of personal tragedy can come a powerful force for change.
If you want to know more about the named fund or legacy giving, visit our Charitable and Planned Giving webpage.