A Grateful Patient's Tribute
A Grateful Patient’s Gift in Honor of Gaurav Shah, MD, FASRS
"We have both benefitted from Dr. Shah and West Coast Retina and feel very blessed to have found them… This group of doctors has been wonderful. I share our great experiences with friends and encourage anyone who has retinal issues to go see them."
— Kay Warneke, a grateful patient of Dr. Gaurav Shah
When a patient experiences truly exceptional care, gratitude runs deep. For one family, that gratitude turned into action.
After Kay and Jeff Warneke received care from Dr. Gaurav Shah and the dedicated team at West Coast Retina, Mrs. Warneke made a generous gift to the ASRS Foundation in his honor.
Their reason was simple—and powerful.
In her own words:
"Because our daughter is a PA with an Ortho trauma unit, we are very familiar with the lack of funding so many in the medical profession are facing these days. I approached Dr. Shah with my concerns about this and asked if there was a place to donate. He then told me a bit about his work with the ASRS Foundation."
This gift does more than honor a trusted physician; it directly supports the mission of the ASRS Foundation—advancing research, fostering education, and empowering the next generation of retina specialists.
Dr. Shah, who serves on both the ASRS and Foundation Boards of Directors, exemplifies the values we strive to uphold in clinical excellence, compassionate care, and a deep commitment to the future of retina health. Support like this not only recognizes the contributions of individual physicians but also ensures that their impact extends far beyond the clinic—fueling innovation, mentorship, and progress across the entire field.
Dr. Shah’s response to Mrs. Warneke’s gift:
“Patients are what we are about as retina specialists. As proud members of the ASRS, it is truly an honor and privilege to take care of people in their darkest of days and bring hope for themselves and their significant others. Vision loss permeates through the entire ecosystem of our patients and we, as retina specialists, can change this uncertainty to certainty in their lives.”
The ASRS Foundation is proud to celebrate this generous act of gratitude. It reminds us meaningful giving begins with personal connection—and has the power to shape the future of retina care for generations to come.