A $1 million gift of appreciated stock to the University of Mississippi Medical Center will bring world-class cancer treatment closer to home for Mississippi families while honoring the donor’s wife.
For more than four decades, Jackson, Mississippi, attorney Ron Yarbrough built a distinguished legal career representing clients in some of the South’s largest commercial and industrial construction projects. But the motivation behind his gift to support the Cancer Center and Research Institute at UMMC is deeply personal.
The gift honors the memory of Yarbrough’s late wife, Jean Seymour Yarbrough, a talented artist whose life was cut short by pancreatic cancer. It also reflects Yarbrough’s desire to help future cancer patients and their families avoid some of the burdens experienced during her treatment.
“I wanted to make a gift in memory of my wife,” Yarbrough said. “But beyond that, I wanted to help make life easier for other people who are going through cancer.”
Dr. Rod Rocconi, Ergon Chair for Cancer Research and CCRI director, is grateful to Yarbrough for his visionary gift, which will help bring world-class cancer care and research to Mississippi.
“Cancer takes too many Mississippi lives, and our state consistently ranks among the nation’s worst for cancer mortality,” Rocconi said. “Ron Yarbrough’s remarkable gift gives us the tools to confront that reality with greater strength. His gift will enable us to continue expanding access to advanced care, growing our research programs and bringing new treatment options to patients who need them most.”
Jean Yarbrough had become accomplished at art after studying under renowned artists. She earned numerous awards and accolades throughout her career and her creativity and talent touched many lives, enriching the cultural life of her community.
During her 27-month battle with cancer, she received chemotherapy and radiation treatments in Mississippi while also making multiple trips to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston to pursue specialized care and explore promising new treatment options.
Those trips brought hope, but they also underscored the physical and emotional challenges faced by patients seeking advanced cancer treatment far from home.
“At the time, you’d take an early flight from Jackson to Houston, then spend another hour getting to MD Anderson,” Yarbrough recalled. “You check into the hotel, go through screenings, appointments and consultations, and then do it all over again to come home. It’s a hassle.”
For someone battling a serious illness, simply traveling becomes another burden to carry. What remained clear was how valuable it would be for Mississippi patients to have greater access to advanced cancer care without leaving the state.
“That was a real selling point for me,” Yarbrough said of supporting the CCRI. “When you multiply that by all the people in this state who are going to be touched by cancer — and that’s going to be a lot of people — having a facility here in Jackson can make an enormous difference.”
Mark Annunziata, UMMC’s estate and planned giving officer, was instrumental in helping Yarbrough with decisions surrounding his gift.
“Ron is very excited to play a part in having a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center right here in Jackson,” Annunziata said. “And we are extremely grateful for his generous gift to UMMC, which will help eliminate many of the challenges faced by our patients and their families.
“By honoring Jean’s memory and investing in the future of cancer care, he has created a lasting legacy of hope — one that will benefit Mississippi patients and families for generations to come.”
The CCRI represents a future in which more patients can access advanced treatment, clinical trials and specialized expertise without the added strain of extensive travel. For families already carrying the weight of a cancer diagnosis, that convenience can mean more time together, less stress and a better quality of life.
For Yarbrough, the impact of his gift ultimately comes down to improving the lives of patients and families facing some of their most difficult days.
“If their lives can be made easier by coming to this facility in Jackson,” he said, “I got my money’s worth.”
A native of Laurel, Mississippi, Yarbrough graduated from Millsaps College before earning his law degree at the University of Memphis School of Law while serving as executive vice president for administration at Southwestern (now Rhodes College). He returned to Jackson to begin what would become a legal career spanning more than 40 years before retiring after more than two decades with Brunini, Grantham, Grower & Hewes.
For more information about the CCRI capital campaign, visit abouttime.ms.
For information about including UMMC in estate plans, contact Mark Annunziata, estate and planned giving officer, at mannunziata@umc.edu or 601-984-4468.
To support the University of Mississippi Medical Center, visit http://www.umc.edu/givenow/ or contact Meredith Aldridge, executive director of development, at mmaldridge@umc.edu or 601-815-7469.
By Bill Dabney/UM Foundation