Meet Our Donors

Anita and Michael Strainick

Cancer has a way of refocusing one’s priorities. For Michael Strainick, his treatment for prostate cancer motivated him and his wife, Anita, to focus their philanthropy on the Abington Health Foundation.

Anita and Michael’s gift is a combination of an outright donation pledged over five years, plus a planned gift made through their estates. To recognize their generosity, Abington Health Foundation will name a linear accelerator suite at the Asplundh Cancer Pavilion in their honor. 

Michael’s cancer treatment is just one facet of the couple’s Abington experience.

When Anita was eight she ruptured her spleen in a fall from the monkey bars and was taken to Abington for emergency care. Then, about eight years ago, while sitting at the kitchen table, she suffered a perimesencephalic subarachnoid brain hemorrhage. Anita was transported to Abington, where she was attended to by Dr. Qaisar A. Shah, Director of Neurointerventional and Neurocritical Care at Abington’s Neurosciences Institute.

Because of her exceptional care by Dr. Shah and the trauma unit staff, Anita experienced none of the paralysis, stroke, or memory loss that often accompanies a brain hemorrhage. After an 11-day hospital stay that included multiple cerebral angiograms and ultrasounds, she was discharged with no major side effects, and only minor residual headaches and hearing loss.

“Abington has been very good for both of us over the years. And when you’re deciding where to donate, Abington was a great choice for us.” says Anita.

Both Anita and Michael know a lot about making financial decisions. After Michael served in the military, he retired from a diverse career of corporate management in printing/publishing, pharmaceutical/biotech, aerospace, research/development, academia, engineering/construction, and consulting.

Even though Anita works as a credentialed administrator for 401(k) plans, her real passion is knitting and sewing. An avid knitter and sewer since the age of seven, Anita’s sewing creations have been featured at international trade shows, in catalogs, magazines, and on Tv. She also volunteers at her local library leading a multi-cultural knitting group. Anita is currently involved in knitting prosthetics for breast cancer patients who have had mastectomies, known as Knitted Knockers. 

Married 18 years, Michael and Anita want to preserve their legacy by donating to the Abington Health Foundation, in particular the Asplundh Cancer Pavilion.

Michael stated “This legacy donation will ensure that cancer patients behind me will be able to follow in my footsteps receiving state-of-the-art treatment and care by a well-qualified staff.”