Dr. Ann Hirschhorn: Gifts Make a Difference at JAX

By Ann Michelson Hirschhorn, M.D., Summer Student Program, class of 1953 and 1954, JAX trustee emerita

Over the course of my 67-year relationship with The Jackson Laboratory, I have worn many hats: summer student, friend, Board of Trustees member, co-chair of the alumni group, trustee emerita, daughter of a board member, mother and grandmother of summer students.

It started in the summer of 1953, when I was accepted into the Laboratory's Summer Student Program and assigned to distinguished JAX scientist Elizabeth "Tibby" Russell, Ph.D., as my mentor. It took four years of studying the mutant mouse she presented me with, one that dragged its hind feet and had a shortened life span, to finally diagnose the problem: a muscle disease similar to human muscular dystrophy. I'll never forget that when we finally published our findings, Tibby and my other senior advisor put my name first on the paper, even though I was just a student at the time.

That life-changing experience not only paved the way for my career as a neurologist, it also gave me an extended family. I consider JAX a home away from home, and feel a strong sense of pride in belonging to an organization that has maintained its commitment to excellence through all of its 90 years. That's why I have given back throughout my lifetime — as a volunteer and as a donor — and it's also why I plan to leave a gift in my will to JAX.

The Jackson Laboratory is a place where your gift makes a difference, no matter what amount you are able to give or where you direct your gift. If you give to the Summer Student Program to support a student, you will forever have a student who is grateful to you and who will know your name. If what's important to you is finding a cure for a particular disease, your funding will really make a difference in the laboratory of a scientist who's working on that disease. It's personal when you make a gift to JAX.

There comes a time in life when you begin to think about your legacy. And if you don't take proactive steps to align your will with what's important to you, it isn't going to happen on its own. I'm proud of my contributions to JAX — and of the plans I have made to leave a bequest — because I know that my gift will have a direct impact on this unique organization.

Leave a Lasting Impact

You, too, can create a legacy through your support of JAX. To get started, contact Nancy Fox, M.B.A. at 1-800-474-9880 or planmygift@jax.org.