Peconic Bay Medical Center recently received a donation of care packages for grieving patients and families from a program founded in memory of longtime hospital surgeon Dr. Peter Sultan.
Sultan’s daughter, Elizabeth Sultan, delivered the packages to the Riverhead hospital as part of Peter’s Packages, a grief-support initiative she created after her father died unexpectedly in July 2025.
Dr. Sultan practiced orthopedic surgery at PBMC for more than 20 years and served patients throughout Riverhead and the North Fork.
“Dr. Sultan was a gifted surgeon, but to those of us who worked alongside him, he was a steady, generous presence who genuinely cared about every person who came through our doors,” PBMC President Amy Loeb said.
“His loss is still felt throughout this hospital,” Loeb said. “Watching Elizabeth turn her grief into something that brings comfort to other families is a tribute to everything he stood for.”
Elizabeth, a rising senior at Westhampton Beach High School, founded Peter’s Packages after she and her brother, William, received comfort items from community members following their father’s death.
Each package is tailored to the recipient’s age and may include books, blankets, art supplies, puzzles, games, gift cards and other comfort items. The items are packed in Peter’s Packages tote bags and distributed through East End Hospice, area hospitals and directly to families who have lost a loved one.
“I am proud to donate Peter’s Packages to PBMC, a place where my dad had a great impact,” Elizabeth said. “It feels fitting one year after his death to reflect on how this initiative has grown, and how I have and continue to make a difference in the lives of those experiencing a loss.”
“I know my dad would be proud of what we are doing in his name,” she said.
Elizabeth was named the Suffolk County Female Athlete of the Year in an award program presented in partnership with the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame and Team Up 4 Community. The award recognized her accomplishments as a student-athlete, as well as her leadership, character and community service. It included a $1,000 college scholarship.
She is a member of Westhampton Beach High School’s varsity soccer team and competes in winter and spring track, specializing in hurdles and pole vault.
Elizabeth also received first-place honors and a $3,000 prize in the 2025 Long Island Holiday Sports Heroes Video Challenge, presented by the W20 Foundation’s Team Up 4 Community program.
Her winning video, produced through her school’s broadcast journalism class, featured a Westhampton Beach varsity soccer game that raised money for Peter’s Packages. She has also raised money and collected donations through T-shirt and cookie sales and an Amazon Wish List.
PBMC, local businesses and individual donors have contributed to the program. The packages donated to PBMC will be distributed to patients and families in the coming weeks.
Information about donating items through the Peter’s Packages Amazon Wish List is available through the program’s Instagram account, @peters.packages.
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