Aliso Viejo couple in philanthropy and in life
Obstetrician Mary O’Toole and Aliso Viejo Mayor Bill Phillips have joined forces in life and community service as the married couple dedicate much of their time to Saddleback Memorial Medical Center in Laguna Hills.
The two handpicked the hospital when they were looking for a place to start a family together in 1989. Since then, it has been a central part of their life.
O’Toole has delivered more than 6,000 babies during her 26 years at the hospital, and Phillips has served more than 12 years on the Saddleback Memorial Medical Center Board of Directors. He served another four on the hospital’s foundation board, and together the two have made charitable donations to the center for more than 25 years.
“We are very lucky to be where we are and to give back,” said Phillips, a founding member of the Aliso Viejo City Council and former member of the St. Mary’s School board in Aliso Viejo.
O’Toole said she loves her job, the thrill of childbirth and serving the women of south Orange County.
“It’s such an adrenaline rush,” she said. “It makes you smile. Every delivery is different.”
Both of their children were born at the hospital. Their son, Drew, is now 22 and their daughter, Cammi, is 13. And one time when Phillips came in for an emergency surgery with a ruptured appendix, the hospital had to pull a surgeon from O’Toole’s operating room to help him.
O’Toole, who also volunteers for the National Charity League and the Corpus Christi parish in Aliso Viejo, said she gets pleasure seeing the benefit of hard work for the hospital and the community. It’s all possible because of a great partnership with her husband, she said.
“Without a fantastic husband, I would be drowning,” she said. “We made the commitment to make it and we have found a way to balance it.”
The couple serves as co-chairs for the foundation’s upcoming Spring Gala, An Evening of Gratitude, which takes place on April 25 at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel. Proceeds will benefit the MemorialCare Breast Center at Saddleback Memorial.
“It’s important because the breast center serves a lot of women, and breast cancer touches everyone,” she said.