JAMES LARSON IS GIVING TO ST. JUDE'S FUTURE AFTER ST. JUDE GAVE HIM HIS

James Larson

James Larson, 67, has found himself in a sudden struggle with life and death more than once, and he is grateful to St. Jude Medical Center for giving him each new chance at life.

Jim survived a serious heart attack in 1993. "Actually, my heart stopped in the emergency room after the paramedics brought me in," Jim says. Thanks to the skills of cardiologist Dr. Jeffrey Dell and others at St. Jude, "The staff there at St. Jude Medical Center saved my life."

Eleven years later, his personal physician, Dr. Anthony Bae, stepped in and helped Jim break the hold of a bad case of pneumonia that suddenly hit and didn't want to let go.

"If it weren't for those two excellent doctors -Drs. Dell and Bae- I wouldn't be here now," Jim says. "They did a great job for me, and they continue to do a great job."

Today, with the help of a charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT) that he set up with the St. Jude Memorial Foundation, Jim is pleased he can protect his life savings and help advance the good work done at the St. Jude Medical Center.

Jim says he first researched the benefits provided by a CRUT online and then selected St. Jude because of the quality work it does. "This hospital is one of the top 1 percent of hospitals in the country," Jim says.

Jim explains that his CRUT with St. Jude, funded by a townhouse he owned for many years in Brea, California, allows him to receive significant tax benefits spread over six years.

"This charitable remainder trust is a win-win proposition for the hospital and for me," Jim says. "I get income from the trust for the remainder of my life. When I pass on, the hospital will have the benefit of the remainder of the CRUT."

Jim notes that the financial and philanthropic benefits of a CRUT are not just for the super-rich. Jim accumulated his life savings the old-fashioned way-he earned it, with the help of good luck and timing.

Jim worked for 30 years at Hunt Foods (ConAgra), retiring from their information systems and services department in 2005. During his working life, he saved and carefully invested his income. Fortunately, he sold his townhouse in Brea right at the peak of the real estate boom.

Now, with his St. Jude charitable remainder unitrust (CRUT) in place, Jim knows that the kinds of quality care he received at the St. Jude Medical Center will be available for others far into the future.

St. Jude Medical Center is a faith-based nonprofit hospital committed to remaining one of Southern California's most respected and technologically advanced medical centers.

Nancy McCoy, Chair, St. Jude Memorial Foundation, says, "Our physicians and patients count on generous donors like Mr. Larson to help assure that we continue to provide quality care and are able to purchase cutting-edge medical equipment, such as the daVinci Robotic Surgical System ."