Paying Back to the Greater Good

Joseph and Barbara Betz have a lot in common. Both pursued active careers as banking executives. Both love traveling and fly fishing. Both have enjoyed decades of skiing adventures, and both are enthusiastic nature photographers.

All of these interests place a high demand on good eyesight. That's why Joe was understandably alarmed when, visiting an eye doctor in Boston several years ago, his eye-pressure reading was sky high.

"The technician thought something was wrong with the equipment!" says Joe. Instead, he was diagnosed with glaucoma. Joe needed immediate care.

A friend in Philadelphia, who'd been a patient at Wills Eye Hospital, recommended his own ophthalmologist there, Dr. David Fischer.

"Dr. Fischer wasn't even in the area of ophthalmology I needed," says Joe, "but I called him late on a Friday, told him my story, and he said, 'Come in Monday, first thing!'"

That Monday Dr. Fischer confirmed that Joe needed to see a glaucoma specialist. On the spot, he called Dr. Jonathan Myers, co-director of the Glaucoma Service.

"Dr. Myers said, 'Come down right now!" Joe recalls. "Less than a month later I was having my procedure."

It is now some nine years since Joe had a trabeculectomy performed on for each eye. During the procedure, a surgeon cuts a tiny flap in the white of the patient's eye that allows fluid to drain, reduces eye pressure, and can save the patient's vision.

"My pressure went down to a normal level," says Joe, "and it has maintained there from that time on. I am so grateful!"

Extending their gratitude

One way that Joe and Barbara extend their gratitude to Wills Eye is through their ongoing philanthropy. Generous donors in support of the hospital, they have also included Wills Eye Foundation in their estate plans to support the Joseph C. and Barbara J. Betz Fund for Ophthalmic Education and Research.

"Barbara and I have been fortunate to have had successful careers," says Joe. "So we feel that it's important for us to pay back to the greater good."

For both of them those careers were in banking and finance. Barbara worked as a trust officer at a large bank in Boston, and Joe rose to be a senior vice president and head of the retail division at another large bank in Massachusetts.

Now they are thoroughly enjoying their retirement. A top priority is their love of nature, the outdoors, music, art, and history.

Support for the future of excellent care

Also high on their priority list is their ongoing commitment to support charitable causes through their philanthropy. While they are generous in support of several organizations, including their church and various museums, "our main focus is Wills," stresses Joe. "We want to have a real impact here."

That they will certainly do. The Betz Fund for Ophthalmic Education and Research, which they have established through their estate planning, will support training for fellows at Wills Eye. It will also fund ongoing education and research, particularly in ocular diseases and disorders related to the optic nerve and macula.

"We've been so impressed with the doctors at Wills," says Joe. "The mature doctors, of course, but also the young doctors, the fellows. They are just fantastic. They come from around the world, and what they learn here they take back into the world. Training is an expensive proposition, and if we can help a bit with our support, we are very happy, proud, and humbled to do so."

Barbara agrees: "These young people are so knowledgeable, so impressive, and so dedicated. Supporting them and their futures gives us a wonderful good feeling."

For more information about making a planned gift in support of Wills Eye Hospital, please contact Suzanne Beers at (215) 440-3153 or sbeers@willseye.org.