Prisma Health officials announced April 29,2026, the hospital system has received a $3 million gift to the Prisma Health Cancer Institute.
Mrs. Kopchinski has been diagnosed and treated for four different cancers – lung, thyroid, blood and jaw cancer, over the past seven years.Prisma Health Cancer Center
The donation by John and Kimberly Kopchinski, of Greer is the largest single donation to the Prisma Health Cancer Institute in the Upstate. Over the past seven years, Kimberly, who always maintained a healthy diet, exercised often and never smoked, has been diagnosed and treated for four different cancers – lung, thyroid, blood and jaw cancer. After visiting cancer centers across the U.S., she chose to have all four cancers treated at Prisma Health Cancer Institute.
Prisma Health Cancer Center
Prisma Health Cancer Center
The first improvements will be made at Prisma Health Cancer Institute – Eastside center, where her care has been based. Changes will include interior enhancements, outdoor respite space for patients and families, improvement of staff work environments and offset ongoing educational costs for nurses.
Rendering of outdoor respite spacePrisma Health Cancer Center
Rendering of interior enhancmentsPrisma Health Cancer Center
The other Prisma Health Cancer Institute sites in the Upstate will benefit from the gift as well.
Read the full press release below:
GREENVILLE, SC – A $3 million gift to the Prisma Health Cancer Institute will improve cancer care across the Upstate, including more patient treatment spaces and expansion of a free program to assess and reduce cancer risk or detect it earlier when most treatable.
The transformational gift is the largest single donation to the Prisma Health Cancer Institute in the Upstate. The donation is from John and Kimberly Kopchinski, of Greer. Over the past seven years, Mrs. Kopchinski, a careful eater who exercises often and never smoked, has been diagnosed and treated for four different cancers – lung, thyroid, blood and jaw cancer. After visiting cancer centers across the U.S., she chose to have all four cancers treated at Prisma Health Cancer Institute.
“People think they need to travel far away for the care they need – they don’t. It’s right here, and it is extraordinary,” she said. “The level of care we’ve received here – in tandem with the true love and concern we’ve experienced – has been amazing. Everyone says you ‘have to go to a certain place’ or you’ve got to see a ‘famous’ doctor, but the best are already right here. At so many other places, you’re just a number – here, you feel like family. We can’t thank our doctors, nurses and clinical staff enough for their care, kindness and love.”
“With this gift, we hope to help the Prisma Health Cancer Institute expand its ability to help other patients and families like ours,” said Mr. Kopchinski. “If you need advanced medical treatment, you don’t have to go to Charlotte, you don’t have to go to Atlanta, you don’t have to go to Charleston. It’s available right here in Greenville, and Kim is a living example of that.
”The first improvements will be made at Prisma Health Cancer Institute – Eastside center, where her care has been based.
Changes will include interior enhancements and new infusion chairs especially designed for comfort. An outdoor respite space will be added for patients and families. The gift will also be used to improve staff work environments and offset ongoing educational costs for nurses. Enhancements will also be made at the other Prisma Health Cancer Institute sites in the Upstate.
The Kopchinski’s, their four children, family members and friends gathered earlier this month to thank the extended care team who made her survival possible and to dedicate the Eastside practice as the Kimberly Kopchinski Care Center. “When you’re first told you have cancer, it is a hard day,” said Kim. “But when you come here and have these people who genuinely care about you and are so kind, it truly makes a world of difference. From the surgeons, oncologists and nurses to the receptionists and the team who do the weekly blood draws, they were all just wonderful,” she said.
“It was important to us to give back to them.” The Kopchinski family is also dedicating its efforts to a new philanthropic venture, GiveByCruising, combining travel with a commitment to funding cancer research.
Husband John regularly volunteers at her care center. He’s a welcome sight on Wednesdays, rounding through the infusion room to offer snacks, drinks and support to patients. “I want to give back however I can,” he said, bringing everything from bananas and bakery goods to microwaveable soup for patients unable to eat solids.
For Risé Wilson, executive director of the Prisma Health-Upstate Foundation, the inspiration for this transformational gift is “especially meaningful because it brings together the compassion of those who provide care and the continuing connection of those whose lives have been touched. This gift is not only remarkable in its generosity; it’s a reflection of the deep gratitude and trust in the care experienced here,” she said.
“The compassion, skill and humanity that our team bring to their work are what patients remember most – and what make places like this so extraordinary,” said Dr. Jeffery Edenfield, executive director over medical oncology for Prisma Health. “We understand that cancer care is about comfort, compassion and enhanced access to the right care, so we focus on treating the whole person – not just the disease.”
The donation will also help Prisma Health expand enrollment in Prevent Cancer Greenville. The initiative, which already has more than 1,000 participants, provides a comprehensive cancer risk assessment through free wellness screenings and suggested lifestyle modifications to help reduce a participant’s chance of cancer from preventable causes. By identifying the earliest signs of cancer risk progression, researchers hope to better identify which modifiable factors can be addressed.
Mrs. Kopchinski said she feels blessed her four cancers were caught very early – and encourages everyone to be their own best advocate and not delay care.“People absolutely need to advocate for themselves,” she said. “Listen to your body. Always be an advocate for yourself. Never be afraid to ask questions or get second opinions, especially if something doesn’t feel right.”
