Why We Give Back
Giving Back: The Message Behind the Gift
Editor’s note: This column originally ran in the El Paso Inc.
By Jerzy Sarosiek, M.D., Ph.D, and Irene Sarosiek, M.D.
When my husband Jerzy left Poland for the United States in 1981 for a postdoctoral research fellowship, I stayed behind with our three children—then just 4, 2 and 2-month-old —until five years later, when disaster struck.
The 1986 Chernobyl nuclear explosion sent a cloud of radioactive particles across Eastern Europe, including our hometown. While I delivered protective iodine solution to children in my community, Jerzy urged us to seek safety by joining him in the U.S. We did so, arriving with very little to our name.
Jerzy’s fellowship paid only $16,000 a year. I spoke no English, had no green card, and struggled to help my children adjust to a country I didn’t know and didn't fully understand.
But we found something in the U.S. that changed our lives: kindness and generosity. The friendly people we met gave us peace of mind in a time of uncertainty and showed us this country welcomes those with dreams and the willingness to work hard and learn.
Our children didn’t know the language but quickly thrived. Their schools supported them academically and made sure they had a free lunch every day. At one point, a private school offered to cover tuition for all three of them for a year, but we were unsure how we’d afford the following years. So, we chose public school, and it was the right decision. Our children flourished, and through scholarships and hard work, they made it to top universities.
Today, our eldest Konrad is a surgeon in Nashville, Tennessee, Kristopher is an associate professor at Harvard, Aleksandra is a lawyer in Los Angeles, and we have eight beautiful grandchildren. None of this would’ve been possible without the generosity of others—people who believed in our children’s potential when we couldn’t afford the opportunities.
This week, we pause to contemplate our journey and commemorate the transformative power of giving, while supporting and recognizing National Philanthropy Day on Nov. 15.
The kindness we receive inspires us to give back. We’re proud to give to Texas Tech Health El Paso. It brings us joy that since 2015, we’ve helped 21 women receive breast cancer screenings and have provided 59 medical students with their first white coat. For the past nine years, we’ve helped grow our own health care heroes and support those most in need by contributing to our Texas Tech Health El Paso campus with gifts to the Fox Cancer Center Patient Fund and Foster School of Medicine.
Our hope is the students we support today will pay it forward and provide world-class patient care to the Borderplex community that welcomed us.
Giving back is about building a future. In addition to funding scholarships, donations help pay for equipment and other resources that help our university attract top faculty and students. This creates opportunities for everyone to succeed. When we read personal thank-you notes from students, our hearts melt. The messages remind us that acts of kindness change lives and serve as investments in tomorrow.
Our story is one of struggle, but also one of hope, opportunity and the power of community. We’re humbled and proud to give back. We hope on Nov. 15, you’ll join us in building the future.
Jerzy Sarosiek, M.D., Ph.D., AGAF, FACG, and Irene Sarosiek, M.D., AGAF, FACG, are faculty in the Department of Internal Medicine at Texas Tech Health El Paso.