When Tom Sulentic and his wife, Sheila, bought a townhouse in Jupiter in 2014, one of the first things they did after settling in was to reach out to Jupiter Medical Center Foundation to offer their support. “We were small donors at Newport Hospital in Newport, Rhode Island,” he says. “Sheila was a senior vice president at BankNewport for almost 25 years. The bank and the hospital had a strong relationship, so we had an interest in building a relationship with a local Florida hospital.”
Little did Tom know that he was not the first Sulentic to lend his support. When he called Jupiter Medical Center Foundation, he was asked if he knew Ray Sulentic. Of course he did—it was his father. Did he know Richard Sulentic? Or Wallace Sulentic? “They were my uncles who I worked with for many years,” he says. “They lived in Palm Beach Gardens near my dad.”
Happy to continue the family legacy, the Sulentics became donors. It was the start of a special relationship that would carry the couple through sickness, heartbreak, and, ultimately, personal healing through a new passion to heal others.
Tom retired in 2004. When Sheila retired in 2014, they became snowbirds. His parents had become seasonal Palm Beach County residents in the mid-1970s and Tom has fond memories of the area. “We used to go to RJ Gator’s restaurant, and the kids would play games,” he recalls. “I remember when I-95 ended at PGA Boulevard and Military Trail was a two-lane road. A lot has changed.”
Two Cancer Diagnoses
In the fall of 2018, Tom was diagnosed with prostate cancer. At about the same time, Sheila went for a routine visit to her primary care physician, Dr. Howard Schwartz, at Jupiter Medical Center. She was concerned about her high cholesterol levels, so Schwartz referred her for a scan of her arteries. A growth in her lung was detected. Schwartz called Dr. K. Adam Lee, medical director of the JMC Thoracic Surgery and Lung Center of Excellence. “He insisted that Dr. Lee see Sheila the next day—and he did,” Tom recalls.
Sheila was diagnosed with sarcomatoid carcinoma, an exceedingly rare cancer. It was the start of a difficult year for the couple. “I had my surgery in January 2019, and Sheila had surgery six weeks later,” he recounts.
For 14 months, Sheila was in and out of JMC for numerous procedures, including chemotherapy, and surgeries. Throughout it all, Tom says that everyone at the hospital was welcoming and compassionate. “Once I was checking in and the receptionist told me she had made a blanket for Sheila,” he explains. “She asked if I would take it up to her and I said no. She asked why and I told her, ‘I want you to give it to her.’”
Despite the all-out efforts, Sheila died in May 2020. In the wake of his devastating loss, Tom has found peace in knowing his wife received the best care possible. He has a newfound mission to ensure other families find the same exceptional care during their darkest times.
Although “we were just small donors when Sheila was diagnosed,” Tom says, he was moved by the compassionate care that both he and Sheila experienced throughout JMC during her challenging condition. “There are so many stories of ER visits, treatments, and personal compassion by everyone from nurses to front desk receptionists where we built personal relationships that remain today.”
Carrying on the Family Legacy
Last year, Tom Sulentic’s generous support resulted in a new legacy for his family: The Sulentic Family Cardiac Rehab Center. “My father died at 87 of heart failure and I had an uncle that died at 46 of a heart attack,” he says. “It is a circle from my father donating and to the ability to get the naming rights on something I hope I never need to use.”
The gift allowed the center to undertake a technological upgrade, expand classes and offer the program to more patients, and pave the way for future growth of the cardiac rehabilitation program.
The Sulentic family support of JMC continues with his children. “My son, John, and his wife, Monica, are benefactors now,” Tom says. The couple recently welcomed a new son. “Who knows? Maybe Alessio will be the next generation of Sulentic donors.”
Jupiter Medical Center Foundation Chief Philanthropy Officer Traci Simonsen says that passing down philanthropic passions like the Sulentic family—which began in 1988 and continues—is a continuum between family and community.
“Generational giving is one of the most powerful expressions of commitment to community. When a family chooses to support Jupiter Medical Center across decades, it becomes more than philanthropy—it becomes part of their legacy of caring for their neighbors,” says Simonsen. “Their continued generosity strengthens the future of health care for every family who calls this community home.”