$2M in Anonymous Donations Helps Philly-Area Nurses Crush Student Debt

Nurses at Paoli Hospital and Lankenau Medical Center just received life-changing news—$2 million in anonymous donations is being used to help pay off their student loans.

This isn’t a bonus or a plaque on the wall. It’s a direct investment in the people who’ve been caring for their community, often while carrying heavy financial burdens.

“Is this real?”: Surprise email kicks off emotional week

At Paoli Hospital, the news broke quietly. Nurses like Tangi Raysor were in the middle of their shifts when they saw the email.

“I was instantly in shock and I said, ‘Is this real?’” she said.

Raysor, a nurse and mother working in a single-income household, said the financial relief could not have come at a better time.

“Hopefully it will lower down my payments… It is a huge help for me,” she said.

💸 $1 million gift aimed at nurse debt relief

The donation came from an anonymous donor who contacted the hospital’s development director with a specific purpose: $1 million for debt relief for Paoli Hospital nurses.

“She said, ‘Bernadette, we have a donor that wants to donate $1 million for our debt relief for nurses,’” said Bernadette Weis, Vice President of Patient Services.
“My jaw dropped.”

The donor’s motivation was simple and personal.

“That’s my hospital—and I want to donate,” the donor told hospital leadership.

This follows a similar $1 million donation made to Lankenau Medical Center earlier this summer. Both hospitals are part of Main Line Health, a nonprofit health system in the Philadelphia suburbs.

“A blessing” for nurses on the front lines

Zachary Kish, a nurse at Paoli since 2021, said the announcement floored him.

“It was wonderful. It felt like it was a blessing,” he said.
“That someone could be so generous to help people who really want to help the community, it’s great.”

The donation is already being applied to student debt balances. For some nurses, that means significant reduction. For others, it may wipe their debt out completely.

Gratitude that words can’t quite express

While the donor chose to remain anonymous, their generosity has made a deep emotional impact.

“Having someone recognize in the community a job that's really difficult… that’s a beautiful thing,” said Kish.

Weis said the donor’s gift isn’t just about money—it’s validation.

“I was so moved. I wanted to hug them right away,” she said.

And for Raysor, it’s about more than finances.

“We must have stood out in some way to them and hopefully changed their life or their family member’s life,” she said. “That means a lot.”

For the nurses who give so much of themselves every day, this unexpected gift is more than financial relief — it's a reminder that their work matters, and someone noticed.

🤔Nurses, share your thoughts in the discussion forum below!