Gail Grimmett Continues Her Late Husband's Legacy

“I think it’s important to put my money where my mouth is, and that’s why I support Winship Cancer Institute of Emory University,” she says. Grimmett recently made a planned gift that will establish a distinguished professorship in multiple myeloma research, the type of blood cancer her late husband, Darrell, had.

Although Darrell ultimately passed away, Gail credits Winship and the team led by Sagar Lonial, MD, FACP, Winship’s chief medical officer and professor and chair of the Department of Hematology and Medical Oncology in Emory University School of Medicine, for giving him a longer, better life. “I absolutely believe my husband lived an extra three years because of the clinical trials he participated in at Winship,” Gail says.

The Grimmetts were introduced to Winship in 2011, the year Darrell was diagnosed and the inaugural year of the Winship 5K Race. “It was going to be just the two of us running,” she says. As the senior vice president for sustainability and corporate innovation for Delta Air Lines, Gail invited a small group of coworkers to support them in the race. “The next thing I knew,” she recalls, “my email had gone viral, and we started getting donations from people I didn’t even know. Darrell called them the million points of light, and they were with us from the very beginning of his diagnosis.”

Sagar Lonial, MD

Lonial remembers the upswell of support from Delta as well. “Everyone wanted to be on her team to support Darrell,” he says, “and Gail made sure the funds they raised were directed to myeloma research and treatment.”

The distinguished professorship to be established through Gail’s planned gift will provide even greater resources for multiple myeloma research. “Gifts at that level enable one of the most important things any physician or researcher has, which is time,” Lonial explains. Protected time “allows for freedom of thought, which can result in groundbreaking ideas and research breakthroughs.” Distinguished professorships also raise a program’s profile internally and nationally, providing a valuable opportunity to attract top research talent or to reward high-performing faculty.

For Gail, it’s all about finding a cure. “The researchers at Winship are so close to making multiple myeloma a chronic disease that can be treated,” she says. “And if there’s going to be a cure, I believe Winship will be at the forefront of that discovery.”

Clinical trials play a key role in developing new, more effective treatments. Lonial is a strong advocate for clinical trials for every stage of cancer treatment.

“Efficacy, management of side effects, late effects or even just a higher percentage of patients that are in remission longer—these are the goals,” he says. “And many people with cancer do benefit from participating in clinical trials.” Lonial says Darrell Grimmett volunteered to take part in any trial that might reasonably help him. “And he always said, ‘if it doesn’t help me, it may help somebody down the road.’ ”

Though vital, clinical trials are just one component of the Winship Way, which centers cancer care around the needs of people with cancer and their families. This approach spoke volumes to the Grimmetts throughout Darrell’s 11-year course of treatment. “Winship’s commitment not just to treatment, but to quality of life—and to helping the whole family—is amazing,” Gail says. “Dr. Lonial and his team weren’t just clinical with us. They showed us compassion and understanding. You’re not going to experience that anywhere else, I can assure you.”

Gifts of Service

Gail’s support for Winship also extends to service. She chairs the Winship Advisory Board and wants to increase the board’s fundraising capacity by leveraging board members’ experiences and connections. “We have powerful stories to tell, either about ourselves or a family member,” she says. “I feel that it’s the board’s responsibility to get out into the community and talk about the number of lives that Winship touches.”

While Gail's board leadership is a tremendous boon to Winship, it also helps Gail. "It allows me to stay engaged with an organization that was a major part of my life for 11 years,” she says. “It’s healing for me.” Her philanthropic giving serves a related, but separate purpose. “The gift I made to name a care community atrium at Winship at Emory Midtown after Darrell continues his legacy and keeps his name associated with the continuing fight against cancer,” she says. “In my mind, he and I made that gift together.”

Gail’s history of giving complements Winship’s mission to provide clinical care, conduct research and educate clinicians and researchers. “Gail has been a tremendous partner and advocate for Winship, and her remarkable support has fostered cutting-edge research and top-notch patient care,” says Suresh S. Ramalingam, MD, FACP, FASCO, Winship’s executive director and the Roberto C. Goizueta Distinguished Chair for Cancer Research at Emory University School of Medicine. “This generous gift will support research and education with the ultimate goal of bringing hope and healing to people with cancer.”