Parents’ endowment keeps compassionate doctor’s work alive
Three dollars and 30 cents. That was the cost of the prescription for one drop.
One drop per night. One bottle per month. $99 per bottle.
The woman who needed it had no medical insurance and very little income. She was too young to qualify for Social Security. And glaucoma was threatening to blind her in one eye.
Hearing her story, her physician reached into a supply of bottles and handed her several. She told the woman to take them home, no charge. A few months later, it happened again.
Which may be all you need to know about Dr. Toni Jill Bertolet. But there is much more.
She was an aspiring doctor at age 3, a physician at 26, and accomplished long before her death at 50.
Four years ago, the Mississippi native, an ophthalmologist who earned her medical degree at the Medical Center in 1988, died in a tragic accident in Colorado. The circumstances of her death will be the subject of a two-hour "Dateline" segment airing Feb. 26 on NBC.
Her work continues through the Toni J. Bertolet, M.D. Endowment, established by her parents to benefit the Department of Ophthalmology and, in turn, Mississippians whose eyesight might otherwise suffer.
Bob and Yvonne Bertolet of Ridgeland raised a studious, compassionate daughter who loved rainbows and hated suffering of any kind.
"You might come in with an eye problem," Bob Bertolet said, "but she might also counsel you about your other problems. And it was uncanny how she could communicate with small children."
Her empathy extended beyond physical ailments, her mother said.
"She felt their other pain as well, and they would wonder, 'How could she know that about me?'" Yvonne Bertolet said.
That compassion showed early. On the basketball court, she would rush to help an injured player, even from the opposing team.
Born in Jackson and raised in Natchez, she attended Trinity Day School, excelling academically and athletically.
"She wanted to get A's not to outdo others," her father said, "but because she wanted to be the very best she could be."
She graduated as Most Outstanding Senior, then attended the University of Mississippi, finishing summa cum laude in 1984 and earning recognition in Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa.
At the Medical Center, she graduated magna cum laude in 1988 before completing an internship and residency in ophthalmology. She served as chief resident and conducted research with Dr. C.J. Chen.
"She was remarkable, the most disciplined resident I ever taught," Chen said. "She made sure that when a patient was seen, everything was taken care of before she reported to the attending."
In 1992, she became a clinical assistant professor of ophthalmology, maintaining her connection to UMMC throughout her career.
She practiced in Mississippi for about a decade before moving to Colorado, where she continued her medical work and community involvement. She sang in church choirs, taught Sunday school and volunteered in ministries that provided medical and spiritual support.
An avid sports fan and outdoor enthusiast, she also served as team ophthalmologist for the NHL's Colorado Avalanche.
Her compassion for patients remained constant.
Randy McCarty, a patient who struggled to afford glaucoma medication, said Bertolet provided free samples that preserved her vision.
"If she hadn't done that for me, I would be in horrible shape," McCarty said.
Bertolet earned numerous honors, including Patients' Choice Awards and the Compassionate Doctor Award. In 2006, she was named one of the country's top ophthalmologists by the Consumers' Research Council of America.
She is survived by her daughter, Haley, who was 7 when her mother died.
In December, her husband received a life sentence after being convicted in her death.
Even in tragedy, her legacy continues through the lives she touched.
"I want Haley to know that her mother most likely saved my eyesight," McCarty wrote in a letter to the family. "Dr. Bertolet went above and beyond for me, and I'm truly grateful."
Today, her family remembers her in small ways, including the sight of a rainbow.
And sometimes, her old basketball jacket is worn by a young girl who dreams of becoming a doctor.
To contribute to the Bertolet endowment:
To make a tax-deductible gift to the Toni J. Bertolet, M.D. Endowment, visit /tonibertoletendowment/ or contact the UMMC Office of Development at (601) 815-3302.