Circle of Hope

Dear patients, please know this as you go through your breast cancer treatment journey. The dedicated technical staff, PhD students, and postdoctoral fellows in the Welm Labs continue to work hard every day (and night!) to bring new hope to people with metastatic breast cancer through innovative research, always with patients in mind.

“I just love taking care of them, helping make them better,” says pediatric neurosurgeon Samuel Cheshier about the children he treats at Huntsman Cancer Institute and Primary Children’s Hospital. He talks about what he has learned from these kids and their parents, what patients should know about Huntsman Cancer Institute, and what he reads about in his spare time.

Pharmacists at HCI do much more than just fill prescriptions. They counsel patients about new treatment regimens and potential side effects. They work with large teams of health care professionals to provide the best patient care. These multidisciplinary teams include physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, transplant coordinators, social workers, medical assistants, schedulers, and more. Putting the patient first also means the HCI pharmacy team works with cutting-edge research and technologies.

Two people occupy a small office in a big building. Huntsman Cancer Institute chaplains Gerson Annunciacao and John Cooper start and end their days in close quarters, often checking in on one another. But most of their time is spent across the rooms and corridors of the hospital, tending to HCI patients and staff. And the COVID-19 pandemic has been, for many—chaplains included—the most trying time of their careers.

When Samuel Cheshier was 13 years old, his favorite cousin died of colon cancer. “I always think of him when I do cancer research,” Cheshier says. As a pediatric neurosurgeon, he witnesses firsthand the devastation that malignant brain tumors cause patients and their families. The desire to help them motivates his basic science research, with the goal of translating experiments into therapies. The 5 for the Fight Fellowship will help speed up the pace of his research, allowing him to start a new project.

Infection from the hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus can cause damage to the liver, which can lead to liver cancer. Learn how to protect yourself from getting infected with these viruses.

Jane Porretta, M.D. is a board-certified general surgeon specializing in breast surgery. She sees patients at HCI and at the South Jordan and Farmington Health Center facilities. In this episode of Talks with Docs, Dr. Porretta shares with us when her interest in surgery was born, why she loves being part of the team at HCI, and what surprising person she would trade lives with for a day.

After three unrelated breast cancer diagnoses here I am now, at 77, in good shape, active, and enjoying my life. I hardly notice my mastectomy. My friends have nicknamed me “Miss Resilient.” I’m sharing my story with the hope that a newly diagnosed woman will know she can rise above this disease. Involve your family and friends, accept help, stay positive, and be active. Always remember YOU are the author of your own life!