(Baton Rouge, La.) Restauranteur, philanthropist and cancer survivor Thomas J. “T.J.” Moran was a staunch supporter of Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center, having been successfully treated at the facility for throat cancer and survived more than two decades. Throughout the years, he made several generous gifts to the Cancer Center, and his generosity continued when his daughter Kathleen “Katy” Jensen and granddaughter Katherine Jensen, made a donation of 500 gift cards for Mary Bird Perkins team members recently through the Thomas J. Moran (TJM) Family Foundation.
“Southeast Louisiana was hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving many of the Cancer Center’s patients with immunocompromised immune systems in a challenging situation,” said Katherine Jensen. “But, just like the care they provided to my grandfather, the Mary Bird Perkins team was there for everyone who needed them. I’m so happy that through the TJM Family Foundation, we can continue the love and affection my grandfather had for all those who cared for him and many others.”
“Mary Bird Perkins – Our Lady of the Lake Cancer Center in Baton Rouge is fortunate to have one of the only cancer-specific imaging centers in the country. Because of Mr. Moran’s past support, and because he understood the critical role diagnostic imaging plays in initial cancer diagnosis, treatment planning and follow-up care, in 2014, the Cancer Center dedicated the state-of-the-art Thomas J. Moran Imaging Center in his name,” said Danielle Mack, vice president and chief development officer, Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center. “It’s staffed with experts who care for only cancer patients, so it’s a unique service we can provide and it’s because Mr. Moran wanted to ensure everyone in the region had access to the highest level of care,” said Mack.
Gift cards were presented to employees throughout the Mary Bird Perkins network through the TJM Family Foundation and Keep BR Serving initiative and will help support restaurants as they recover from COVID-19.
About Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center
Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center is a regional cancer care organization that has been fighting cancer for almost 50 years. The cancer care organization provides care at nine centers in Baton Rouge, Covington, Hammond, Houma, Gonzales, Zachary and Natchez, Mississippi, and its service area encompasses southeast Louisiana and southwest Mississippi regions. For more information, please visit www.marybird.org.