Babu and Madhu Patel are giving back to their community in a meaningful way, by supporting the expansion of Hoag's Sun Family Campus in Irvine.
When Babu and Madhu Patel arrived in the United States from India as newlyweds in the early 1970s, they had just eight dollars to their name — and a belief in the opportunities ahead.
More than 50 years later, after building a life and family in Southern California, the Irvine couple is giving back in a meaningful way through their first philanthropic gift to Hoag, a $100,000 contribution to the Boldly Hoag campaign.
“We felt this country gave us so many chances,” Babu shared. “We were able to build a good life, raise a happy family and succeed here. We wanted to give something back.”
Longtime Hoag patients and residents of Irvine since 2006, the Patels say their experiences with Hoag — from trusted physicians to the births of their grandchildren — inspired their decision to support the health system that has cared for their family through so many important moments.
“All four of our grandchildren were born at Hoag,” Madhu said. “We’ve relied on Hoag for our care for many years. The doctors are wonderful, and everyone has always taken such good care of us.”
Their gift supports the transformational expansion of Hoag’s Sun Family Campus in Irvine. Hoag is advancing world-class care through new state-of-the-art facilities focused on cancer, digestive health, women’s health and surgical innovation — enhancing access to leading-edge treatment, research and compassionate care across Orange County and beyond.
The Patels are also passionate about the neurosciences and Parkinson’s research, reflecting their hope that philanthropy can help accelerate medical breakthroughs for future generations.
After recently attending a Hoag physician speaker event highlighting the future of healthcare in Orange County, the couple left inspired by Hoag’s vision for growth and innovation.
“It was very enlightening,” Babu said. “To see where Hoag is going and growing — it made us proud to support it.”
For the Patels, their philanthropy is both a celebration of how far they have come and an investment in the future of healthcare for their community.
The Boldly Hoag campaign is transforming healthcare in Orange County through investments in cancer care, digestive health, women's health, surgical innovation and research on the Sun Family Campus in Irvine. Join inspiring supporters like the Patel family in helping Hoag build the future of medicine. To learn more about philanthropic opportunities, visit boldlyhoag.org.
