SWAMPSCOTT — Four years ago, restaurateur Matthew Swartz had a Thanksgiving he would never forget. With a few glasses of wine in his stomach, Swartz, an experienced cook and restaurant owner, attempted to break off a turkey leg with a 9-inch chef’s knife. Instead, he sliced open his finger, cutting through his nerve and nearly severing it entirely.
Unable to stop the bleeding, Swartz rushed to Salem Hospital’s emergency department, which opened in 2019, in a panic. He said within a few hours, doctors were able to stitch up and salvage his finger.
“I walked in there, and the nurses were all so nice — I remember I was really worried about the finger, and they stitched me up, and they said, ‘You’re going to be fine, but you might have nerve damage,’” Swartz said.
Out of gratitude for the ER staff that saved his finger, Swartz, who co-directs the Swartz Shalom Charitable Foundation with his sister Debbie Shalom, made a $10,000 donation to the Salem Hospital Emergency Department.
Since his initial 2019 donation, Swartz has returned to Salem each year to hand a $10,000 check to Salem Hospital Chair of Emergency Medicine Dr. Phillip Rice Jr.
Swartz’s annual donations allowed Salem Hospital to secure needed medical instruments and supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic. His last few checks, Swartz said, went into Salem Hospital’s creation of the Swartz Shalom Trauma Room — a comforting place for friends and families of patients to receive bad news. He said he hoped that those in the North Shore who have the means will also donate.
“I don’t give $10,000 to just anybody, but this hospital, it just means a lot to me,” Swartz said. “I hope (this article) creates awareness and encourages people who can give to give.”
Swartz plans to continue his annual donations to Salem Hospital “for a long time.” This Thanksgiving, he will use extra caution while carving the turkey.
