Carol Gamble has a longstanding history with Anna Jaques Hospital (AJH). She is a former employee, a patient, a volunteer, and importantly, a longtime donor who has made more than 200 gifts in the past 13 years. When she moved to Newburyport in 2004, Carol was already experienced in healthcare, having held positions as a lab technologist, a lab director, and a system director for various northeastern hospitals. She retired as Lab Director in 2015. “It was wonderful being able to live and work in Newburyport. I loved that I could serve my community in a meaningful way,” says Carol, who holds great appreciation for AJH, and came to respect the institution’s emphasis on collegiality and collaboration. “This was the last hospital job of my career, and by far my favorite.”

Her longtime involvement contributed to Carol and her husband, Alan, making an exceptional gift to support the hospital’s greatest needs. The couple was also inspired by Alan’s mother, who generously supported her local church, alma mater, historical society, and library.

AJH is a true cornerstone of its community, offering expert care with a personalized touch. A resident of Newburyport, Carol appreciates having high-quality care close to home. “You get taken care of right away and you don’t have to go far,” says Carol. “We are right on the coast, and it is imperative that we have a place that we can go when there is an emergency.”

At the end of her tenure at AJH, Carol started to shift gears toward wellness outside of the hospital setting. Working for her community was something Carol found both challenging and rewarding. She created her own business, Graceful Path Yoga, and began offering yoga therapy at the AJH Cancer Center as a way to help patients during treatment. “When I got my certification as a yoga teacher, I started volunteering at the hospital to promote wellness practices,” says Carol. “I would go to the Cancer Center and sit with patients, helping teach relaxation breathing techniques, seated yoga stretches, and guided meditation to relieve stress.” These volunteering hours strengthened Carol’s understanding of patients’ needs during cancer care and deepened her already close relationship with AJH.

She saw, and acted upon, a need for communitywide wellness outside of treatment for patients and their families. Carol helped found North of Boston Cancer Resource (NBCR), and served in director and treasurer roles for the nonprofit organization, which is an online guide to complementary therapies, services, and resources for those with cancer, as well as their families and caregivers. An important benefit to patients is gift certificates for complementary therapies distributed through an NBCR speaker series and the AJH Cancer Center. “Proximity can’t be overstated, especially when you’re not feeling well. We connect people with local, trustworthy practitioners and businesses that care about them,” says Carol.

The community hospital is essential to Newburyport and the surrounding area, and philanthropy is vital to continue providing the excellent care for which AJH is known. “Newburyport is an incredible place,” says Carol. “Today, Alan and I love supporting the community that we live in by ensuring Anna Jaques Hospital has resources to thrive in the future.”

Please join Carol and Alan and make a gift to Anna Jaques Hospital today.