Many of us can point to a particular doctor whose hands made the difference between life and death for ourselves or a loved one. But not everyone has the ability to pay that lifesaving act forward by doing something to encourage and empower a new generation of doctors to stand at the margin of desperation and offer hope.

That’s what the L.D. Britt Foundation does, and it owes its existence to a celebrated doctor from Suffolk and a man whose life he saved more than 20 years ago.

Dr. William E. Russell started the foundation in honor of Dr. L.D. Britt for performing life-saving surgery after Russell was diagnosed with colon cancer.

Britt, a Suffolk resident, is chair and Brickhouse Professor of Surgery at Eastern Virginia Medical School, former program chair of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma, and former president of the American College of Surgeons, the world’s largest organization of surgeons.

The foundation, founded in 1995, has awarded more than $1 million in scholarships to minority students pursuing medical degrees in the Hampton Roads area. Each year, the foundation grants a four-year award, up to $10,000 per year, to a deserving student.

That’s a fine legacy for both the founder and for the man whose name the foundation honors.

We’re proud to know that Dr. Britt calls this fine city home.