“Still on this side of the grass,” Don Hoffman says with a wink whenever City of Hope staff ask how he’s feeling. Today is another great day, just like the one 14 years ago, when he beat male breast cancer. In April of this year, after being diagnosed with lung cancer in 2022, his scans no longer showed any signs of cancer in his body.
Optimism has guided the Hoffmans for four generations. In the 1950s, teenage Don with his mother, father and sister stuffed gala envelopes for City of Hope. Today, Don and Lois, his wife and dance partner of 65 years, pour that same energy into what Don calls frontline giving.
When Don faced a lung cancer diagnosis in 2022, they jumped in and made a gift to speed research. Prior to that, they created several charitable gift annuities, blending dependable lifetime income with future cures. “We give whenever we can, however we can,” Don says.
Long before donning a patient gown, Don spent 15 years as a director on the Medical Center Board of City of Hope. “We talked about being patient-first,” he says. “As a patient, I learned it isn’t a slogan. It’s how every nurse and doctor truly behaves.”
Lois feels the same trust in the philanthropy office. “They show us exactly where every dollar goes,” she says. “That transparency keeps us giving.”
Home life is delightfully ordinary — weekly square-dancing, family dinner night and lots of laughs. “City of Hope has exceeded my expectations in every way,” Don says. “If they can solve my problems, maybe our gifts will help them solve yours.”
Don’s next checkup is scheduled, but he won’t spend a moment worrying. There’s a dance floor waiting and, as Don puts it, a whole lot of hope left to share.