Corinne Wood Cancer Center at Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital
Northwestern Medicine Corinne Wood Cancer Center at Catherine Gratz Griffin Lake Forest Hospital is named in honor of Corinne Wood: a public servant, pioneer, advocate, wife, mother and beloved member of the Lake Forest community. Wood was a remarkable woman whose life was defined by public service, compassion, courage and an unwavering commitment to improving the lives of others.
Corinne Wood made her home in Lake Forest for 32 years, where she and her family built their life and raised their children. It was a community she loved deeply and one that she was proud to represent. She served the Lake Forest area as a state representative and went on to make history when she became the first woman elected to serve as Illinois lieutenant governor.
Throughout her career in public service, Wood was a passionate advocate for women's health and cancer research. As lieutenant governor, she created "Check for a Cure," an innovative program that allowed Illinois taxpayers to designate a portion of their state income tax refunds to support cancer research.
Wood’s commitment to the cause was deeply personal, as she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998. She courageously confronted the disease for the next 23 years while continuing to devote herself to her family, her community and the causes she believed in. She received her cancer care at Northwestern Memorial Hospital throughout those years until her passing in 2021.
It is particularly fitting that Corinne Wood Cancer Center carries Wood’s name, as it brings together many elements of her life. It stands in the community she called home for more than three decades. It bears the name of a woman who devoted herself to public service and to improving the lives of others. And it honors her lifelong commitment to women's health, cancer research and the hope of finding better treatments and, ultimately, a cure.
Wood knew the challenges of cancer not only as an advocate, but as a patient. She understood the importance of outstanding medical care, the courage required of patients and their families, and the hope that research brings to everyone touched by this disease. Corinne Wood Cancer Center will serve as a lasting tribute to her life and legacy.
May every patient who enters its doors, every family who finds hope within them, and every advance in cancer care made possible here carry forward the spirit of a woman who spent her life serving others, fighting for better health and believing in the power of hope.
Contact
833.GIFT.NMF (833.443.8663)
giving@nm.org
541 North Fairbanks Court, Suite 800
Chicago, Illinois 60611
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