1104500

For more information on how to donate to this endowment, please call or write:

Deaconess Billings Clinic Foundation(406) 657-4679 or 1-800-332-7201

2917 Tenth Avenue NorthP.O. Box 3566, Billings, MT 59103-3566

foundation@billingsclinic.org

Your gift is an investment in medical excellence.

By donating to this endowment, you can help bring leading-edge health care, education and research to family, friends and neighbors. The ideals and generosity of philanthropists can go on forever through endowments. You can extend your influence into the future through an endowment with Deaconess Billings Clinic Foundation.

Endowment gifts are truly gifts that live forever.

There are three words every patient wants to hear

and every doctor wants to say:“We can help.”Today, more than 200 physicians and researchers at

Deaconess Billings Clinic are working to make those words a reality.

Deaconess Billings Clinic specialists use the latest methods to diagnose, treat and even

prevent major medical conditions such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes,

childhood illnesses and more.

To continue this progress, we need your support.

Geoff loved

“pre-hospital care”

with a passion,

and those

who knew him

hope to inspire

others to add

to this legacy.

Geoffrey Todd Corbin was born to be an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). His mother, Linda, was an EMT and his father, Mike, was an Air Force medic when they met. Geoff was exactly three days old when he attended his father’s graduation from paramedic school. His first word was “topter” for the Life Flight helicopter at Memorial Hospital in California where his parents worked. Geoff achieved his goal, graduating from EMT school and working in the Deaconess Billings Clinic emergency department. When he died tragically in an automobile accident, his family and friends believed the best memorial to him would be an endowment to fund scholarships for those who cannot pay for EMT or paramedic training. Geoff loved “pre-hospital care” with a passion, and those who knew him hope to inspire others to add to this legacy.

Geoff’s mother, Linda, said that he was “born two weeks early and never stopped the rush through life until the day he died.” He was an easy baby, a good kid and quickly picked up subjects he enjoyed. As a youngster, he made friends effortlessly and cheerfully “conned” adults with a beautiful smile and good manners. Geoff was three years old when his parents divorced, but regularly spent time with his father. He and his mother settled in Las Vegas for a

few years when Geoff was fifteen. He displayed a flair

for the more unconventional athletic skills, mastering

rollerblading, skateboarding and snowboarding in short

order, while also excelling at cross-country running for Clark

High School. He placed in the top three in every race he ran and won the

Las Vegas Invitational the year he moved to Las Vegas. Geoff was a self-taught guitar

player and in quieter moments, he enjoyed writing songs and poetry with a friend.

Unfortunately, Geoff also slipped into the “seamier side” of life in Las Vegas, becoming addicted to speed and marijuana. Linda said that despite his struggles with drugs, he always worked and made a financial contribution to their household. Geoff knew he did not want to spend the rest of his life fighting and falling back into addiction. After several tries, he finally committed to a 12-step program on January 12, 2001. He was very active within the program and had friends all over the country because of it. He attended Young People’s conferences throughout the western region and sponsored several other young adults on their journey to recovery. Several of his friends credit Geoff with helping them kick their addictions. Three weeks before he died, Geoff was the Host Chairperson of a conference which brought 750 clean and sober young people from all over the country to Billings for a 4-day weekend of fun and recovery. Following his

commitment to the 12-step program, Geoff turned his energy and talent toward getting his high school diploma and EMT certification. His ultimate career aspiration was to become a flight nurse.

Geoff had a remarkable ability to connect with people from all walks of life. Before getting his EMT certificate, he worked in a group home. His clients there threw him an “Goodbye” party when he left to work in the DBC emergency department, sending him off with tears in their eyes. Linda remembers one night when Geoff came home from the emergency department needing to talk. It was the first time he had had a patient die. He felt that he knew the woman’s life story after spending those few hours with her, creating a bond that was

abruptly broken when she died. Geoff also had a special touch with drug addicts and alcoholics who ended up in the emergency department. His own experience allowed him to relate to them in a more personal way. His favorite greeting for patients and staff alike was “Hey, Dude, what’s up?” which invariably made everyone laugh and relax. He would often cheerfully invite patients’ family members to “cop a squat” on a gurney while they were waiting. One emergency department staff member remembered the night a patient who had just arrived by ambulance got up and bolted out the ED door. Geoff took off after him, jumping hedges and fences to (eventually) safely return him to the department. Geoff’s comment on the whole incident was “It was just like ‘Cops’, Dude.”

In addition to all the people who had the honor of knowing Geoff when he was alive, there are many who continue to be grateful to him for the gifts he gave them when he died. Geoff was an organ and tissue donor. Over fifty people have benefited from his generosity. Linda, Geoff’s mom, remembered a conversation she had with Geoff just six days before he died. That night, when they were talking after he came home from work, he said that he would want to be an organ donor if anything every happened to him. Suddenly, sadly, his parents found themselves carrying out his wishes.

Please help us remember Geoff by supporting those who seek to pursue the goals that he cannot. He was a wonderful “Dude.”