Stories of Hope and the Impact of Your Generosity

Grief for their sister inspired a movement to help empower women in need.

The Wiltshire sisters (left to right): Joanne, Roxanne, Wendy, and Diane.

Every day when arriving at work, Diane Wiltshire, MSW, LSW, walks through the doors of Penn Medicine Princeton House Behavioral Health with her sister, Wendy, always in her heart. Wendy tragically lost her battle with metastatic breast cancer in 2020, but her spirit lives on in Diane’s work. 

During her clinical internship at Princeton House, Diane saw firsthand how crucial it is to have professional care for mental health, trauma, and substance use. After Diane began working as Primary Therapist for the Women’s Program at Princeton House, she and her two sisters wanted to contribute more through their family nonprofit, The Wiltshire Foundation. 

For many women with trauma or addiction, necessary treatment is logistically and financially out of reach, especially for those juggling the responsibilities of raising a family while trying to recover. The Wiltshire sisters, along with the other members of their board, believe that you need to be able to access opportunities to heal in order to benefit from them. 

That belief fuels their fundraising initiative, The Power of Partnership: Removing Barriers in Support of Women’s Mental Health, to support outpatients in the Women’s Trauma Program. The initiative will reduce barriers these women encounter when trying to balance caring for a family with getting the help they need. More specifically, it will help provide transportation and food security for women during their treatment stay. The Wiltshire Foundation has made an initial gift of $10,000 in support of women in the program, and fundraising efforts continue to grow. 

A family’s extraordinary gift gives those facing cancer support at every step.

A cancer diagnosis affects everyone in each patient’s journey. For one Princeton family, that truth hit home years ago when they lost their mother to cancer. 

The family watched as their father took on the role of his wife’s caregiver, doing his best to navigate the overwhelming responsibilities. They all needed emotional support and guidance during that difficult time, but that help was challenging to find.

So, when the family learned about the expansion of Penn Medicine Princeton Cancer Center, they felt compelled to make a difference. 

Princeton Health’s Center for Cancer Care currently screens the stress levels of those undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatment. With the help of a $2.6 million donation provided by this family, we are able to expand these services to include comprehensive screenings for more patients with cancer. 

Though they wish to remain anonymous, this family’s generosity will help launch the Psychosocial Support for Cancer Patients program, bringing behavioral health screenings to every cancer setting at Princeton Health along with follow-up care when needed. Now, no one – patient, family member, or caregiver – must find their way through the stresses of cancer alone.

Thanks to this family’s kindness, more patients and their families will feel supported at every step in their cancer journey at Princeton Health.

A young voice of gratitude is a spark of hope and healing for others.

Left to right: Nafiz Cekirge, Dr. Rebecca Boswell, Jacqueline Goldschneider, and Shelley Cekirge at the FED fundraiser.

Now 16, Eliza hasn’t forgotten the care she received. In deep gratitude, she has made it her mission to give back. 

Over the past few years, she has taken the lead in raising awareness about eating disorders, determined to help others find the same support she received. This year, her charitable foundation, the Eliza J. M. Cekirge Foundation, hosted the Fighting Eating Disorders (FED) dinner, bringing together friends, community members, and supporters to highlight this important cause. Speakers included Rebecca Boswell, PhD, Director of Princeton Center for Eating Disorders and Administrative Director of Psychiatric Services at Princeton Medical Center, and Jacqueline Goldschneider, author of The Weight of Beautiful. Their efforts raised more than $15,000 for Princeton Center for Eating Disorders.

Eliza’s inspiring passion and fundraising ensures that others – some as young as age 8 – will find the care and compassion they need and never feel alone in their journey toward healing. 

Compassion is at the heart of everything we do at Princeton Health, and we’re grateful for the community that makes our work possible. We are touched and honored by your continued support, which brings us closer to a future where everyone has the care they need.

Article as seen in Princeton Giving Fall 2024.