Marita Carpenter's Story: Altruistically Dedicated to the Health of Our Community

Philanthropist, humanitarian and a grateful South Shore Hospital patient, Marita Carpenter is an exemplar of community spirit whose extraordinary generosity and commitment to the mission of South Shore Health System has been steadfast over the years.

As former President of the Social Service League of Cohasset, Marita advocated for senior citizens, teens and families in crisis. Through the league’s mission of identifying and assisting disadvantaged individuals of all age groups within the community, Marita has directly helped hundreds of people in need. Under her leadership, the Social Service League expanded its partnership with South Shore Health System on home care initiatives, such as the First Day Home program–created to give extra support to the most vulnerable patients by providing a nurse visit on the “first day home” from a hospital stay.

As South Shore residents, Marita and her husband, Joel, both fondly talk about how South Shore Hospital has been woven into the fabric of so many of their memories, including the birth of their children and the place to go for stitches. What they could never have imagined, however, was Marita’s most recent visit to South Shore Hospital as a patient in the Critical Care Unit.

Marita remembers not feeling well that summer day at her home in Scituate so she went to South Shore Hospital’s Emergency Department, where she was admitted for observation. What happened next was unimaginable. That night, she had a massive heart attack. Within minutes, Marita was brought into the catheterization laboratory and received lifesaving heart treatment.

“I truly thought I was going to die,” Marita said. “I was honestly the luckiest person to be in such a great hospital, getting the care I needed…care that saved my life.”

Marita’s near-death experience and appreciation for the lifesaving care she received at South Shore Hospital prompted Joel’s and her generous charitable gift of $100,000. The gift will help support the new Critical Care Unit under construction and the renovation of the existing CCU to become a 23-bed medical-surgical care unit, a project that will support the needs of our sickest patients, their families, and care providers for years to come.

“South Shore Hospital has always meant a lot to me and my family and it’s so important for our community,” Marita said. “Giving back through supporting the incredible programs and services we’ve come to know and love is a privilege.”