Leelanau County resident donates $2.5 million to Munson
A generous donation to Munson Medical Center (MMC) from one local family is set to help others in the community for years to come.
Munson unveiled a new name for its comprehensive stroke center — The Witham Family Comprehensive Stroke Center — on Monday at a ceremony to honor a $2.5 million donation from Richard and Marilyn Witham and their children, Chris and his wife, Stephanie, and Kurt. The Witham’s have been parttime residents of Leelanau County for the last 20 years.
“I don’t know how there can be so many wonderful people at one location. I have not met a rude person or a person that didn’t seem to care. I just can’t say enough about Munson hospital and its people, so that’s why we did what we did,” Richard Witham said. “Marilyn and I may never know whose life it saves or who has an improved quality of life because of that, but we know that we’ve done something good for the people in this area overtime, and that’s good enough of a reward right there.”
Witham, 85, suffered from a stroke in 2019 when he was outside working in his vineyard. He and his wife split their time between Leelanau and Muskegon, so he happened to be alone at the property when it happened. At the time, he said he lost all feeling and use of his right arm and hand, and immediately called nearby family members to help. His grandson ended up driving him to MMC, where staff were there waiting to administer emergency care right away.
“I was in the vineyard and I was mowing the lawn, it’s a part of my landscaping, and I noticed that all of a sudden my arm wasn’t working and my hand wasn’t working. I was alone up here,” he said. “Sure enough, I had a stroke, so I was there for five days. That was a while ago, but I don’t forget things like that. They took such good care of me that I was just really impressed.”
After Witham’s experience, he and his family began working with Munson Healthcare Foundations to give back. While meeting with those in the hospital’s stroke unit, Witham also discovered that doctors utilized a part manufactured by one of his former companies, Motion Dynamics Corporation, in clot removal procedures. Today, Witham’s sons, Kurt and Chris, lead both of his former companies, Motion Dynamics and Automated Industrial Motion.
“Because of the business we’re in, we’re very cognizant of technology and our parts are used there (at Munson) today,” he said. “It’s the importance of technology in the medical field and an aging population…” Stroke risk increases with age, but strokes can and do occur at any age. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that every year, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke, and is the leading cause of serious long-term disability.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau 2022 Leelanau County population data, the median age in the area is 55, with the highest ratio of people being between 65-69 years-old. That aging population, Witham said, is a big reason why having a comprehensive stroke center in Grand Traverse County is so important.
“This area needs a stroke center because of our population. Time is of the essence when it comes to a stroke, they have about three hours and they have to first determine the type of stroke that it is. Are you bleeding internally and so forth… but we have an aging population in Leelanau County, and we also have a pretty high income level,” he said. “We are blessed to have Munson Comprehensive Stroke Center, and that will basically take care of half or two thirds of the UP (upper peninsula) as well as everything down as far as Ludington.”
The Joint Commission recently certified MMC as a Comprehensive Stroke Center in December, placing it among just 221 hospitals in the United States and one of 12 in Michigan. The certification is the most demanding designation process in the country for stroke and designed for hospitals that have specific abilities to receive and treat the most complex stroke cases. It’s also the first-ever comprehensive stroke center in northern Michigan. The Witham family’s donation will go towards supporting the stroke center’s technology and staffing needs as it continues to grow.
