UPDATE: Thursday @ 6pm
By Carrie Cline
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- A surgeon, a philanthropist, a giving spirit. Dr. Jeff George saved others' hearts while giving of his own. The renowned former Huntington heart surgeon died Wednesday night in a car accident near his home in Roanoke, Virginia.
His 14-year-old daughter and only child also died in that accident. But, Dr. George leaves behind a heartwarming legacy.
Tim Jenkins runs a miniature horse program for children. But, he says he's only able to give his heart to others because Dr. Jeff George saved his.
“He’s primarily the reason I’m still here,” said Tim.
Dr. George was a heart surgeon at Huntington's St. Mary's Medical Center for more than twenty years. During all of that time, Charlotte Pauley worked closely by his side. She was his personal nurse and dear family friend.
“Patients would come in who were obese and he’d tell them you need to help yourself first and lose weight. After you lose about 50 pounds, come back and then I can help you. That’s the kind of person he was, he wouldn’t just operate to operate. He actually cared about the people,” said Charlotte.
Helping people was what Dr. George lived for in and out of the operating room.
The hospitality house serves adult families who live more than 50 miles away and whose loved ones are in local hospitals. It's also a temporary home for adult patients who are undergoing various outpatient treatments. It’s here primarily because of Dr. George’s commitment.
“He had the motivation and inspiration for it,” said Jo Fannin, Comfort House Executive Director.
But, for as much as Dr. George did, it was Lillian Dick's vision that sparked the dream. 17 years ago, her grandson was born with cancer. The family stayed at a hospitality house when he underwent surgery in Philadelphia. They wanted to see something similar in Huntington.
“We knew Huntington needed something like this and we made it happen,” said Lillian.
Nearly two years ago, Dr. George moved to Roanoke, Va., to work at a facility there. But, even though he was many miles away, he still made this house a priority.
The Jeffrey George Comfort House has served more than 18,000 people from 42 states and 12 countries in the ten years since it opened. Dr. George's daughter, Hannah, was 14 and a horse lover. The two are survived by wife and mother, Teresa.
ORIGINAL STORY
ROANOKE, Va. (WSAZ) -- A former Huntington doctor and his 13-year old daughter, Hannah, were killed Wednesday night in an auto accident on Interstate 81 near Roanoke.
Doctor Jeff George had strong ties to the Huntington, West Virginia, area. His local philanthropy led the Hospitality House to change its name in his honor--to the Jeffrey E. George Comfort Hospitality House.
WSLS-TV in Roanoke is reporting that George's SUV flipped over a guardrail and caught fire. (read WSLS' story)
He worked as a cardiovascular surgeon at St. Mary's Hospital in Huntington until he and his family moved to Virginia last year. There, he worked at the Carilion Clinic.
"Tonight at Carilion we are in shock and heartbroken by this tragic loss. We are trying to do what we can to support his family," said Eric Earnhart, spokesperson for Carilion Clinic.
Dr. George attended medical school at West Virginia University.
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