Board of Directors

Shari Cantor gave birth to her fourth son, Jacob, on October 21, 1996. At first the baby seemed fine, then one of the nurses looked at him and said, “He looks dusky.” It turned out Jacob had multiple heart defects that required specialized cardiac care right away. Happily, Jacob was born at Hartford Hospital and specialized care was across the street, where Connecticut Children’s Medical Center had just opened.

“Connecticut Children’s had just been built,” says Shari. “Jacob, in fact, was one of their first patients. And thank God it was there.” To meet Jacob today, you would never guess he had any kind of deficit. He has even been able to join in one of the Cantor family’s passions: running and participating in a variety of local road races.

Given the important role Connecticut Children’s has played in the life of the Cantor family, it should not surprise anyone to learn Shari, now the mayor of West Hartford, serves as the Chairperson of Connecticut Children’s Foundation Board. “Connecticut Children’s means the world to my family,” says Shari. “Giving back as a member of the Foundation Board is both a personal joy and a way to express the gratitude our family feels for the amazing care our son received 25 years ago.”