Derek Thornhill

Derek Thornhill

When Derek Thornhill and his wife, Lauren, were first introduced to Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital with their two young sons, Teddy and Charlie, they were simply looking for exceptional pediatric care. At Joe DiMaggio, the Thornhills immediately sensed something special. Just walking through the doors, Derek recalls, the hospital “felt different—it felt right.”

That first experience set the tone for everything that followed. A year later, five-year-old Charlie was diagnosed with B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia and was admitted immediately.

From the start, the Thornhills felt deeply supported. The doctors, nurses, and staff offered constant communication, comfort, and compassion. Therapy dogs Freedom and Hero visited regularly, lifting Charlie’s spirits. “All of the ‘extras’ make the hard days easier, just a little more bearable,” reflects Derek. “It’s not just about medicine,” Derek often says. “It’s about humanity.” And the hospital’s care never faltered. It remained at the same exceptional level the family first encountered, straight through the end of Charlie’s care.

After Derek’s father passed away, Derek and Lauren were named successor advisors to his Donor Advised Fund — a role that allows them to recommend how the charitable funds he established are distributed. In honoring his father’s legacy and Charlie’s journey, they chose to direct grants from the fund to support advanced training and professional development for the nursing team at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital. Through this gift, they are helping ensure that other families receive the same exceptional bedside care that meant so much to theirs.

Inspired to contribute more than financially, Derek reached out to the Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation leadership and joined the Board. As a grateful parent and a private banker, he sees an opportunity to help other South Floridians think differently about generosity, especially the assets that have been entrusted to them. His advice to anyone moved by the care at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital: consider the resources you have, or will one day steward, and put them to work in a place that changes children’s lives every day.