Circle of Hope

Mary Beckerle, PhD, describes how the clinical landscape has changed during her career, as well as discussing the future at Huntsman Cancer Institute and the unique relationship between its caregivers and patients.

Huntsman Cancer Institute dietitian Joan Elizondo explains the importance of proper nutrition before, during, and after chemotherapy. Learn what foods can help ease side effects and what you can do you if you start to lose weight.

Chakravarthy Reddy, MD, describes his journey to becoming a critical care doctor at Huntsman Cancer Institute, the role his mother played in helping choose this as a career and the changes he has seen in the pulmonology field during his tenure.

As a young mother, Hayli Acosta was diagnosed with desmoid tumors—which are not cancerous, but are often treated similarly. She underwent chemotherapy and cryoablation, a process that uses extreme cold to destroy tissue, at Huntsman Cancer Institute. Hayli's journey with this debilitating condition caused confusion with her insurance company along the way. Now, she is back to living a normal life.

For two years, Kara and Spencer Byrne tried to get pregnant. When it finally happened, they received another shock—Kara was diagnosed with stage III bladder cancer. They share their story of navigating pregnancy with a cancer diagnosis.

The year 2020 was designated as the international Year of the Nurse in celebration of Florence Nightingale’s 200th birthday. And what a year it was for nursing on the local, national, and world stage. Our 500-plus nurses at Huntsman Cancer Institute have shined during an unprecedented time, showing compassion, resilience, and grit through a pandemic, social unrest and injustice, and emergency responses during an earthquake and hurricane-force winds.

When David Reyes had trouble writing, he chalked it up to a nerve issue. But then came headaches so painful he ended up in the ER. David was eventually diagnosed with a medulloblastoma, a type of brain tumor. David says though brain cancer has left him unable to do certain things, he’s grateful to be alive—and to have wonderful friends and family who have supported him along the way.

Black, Latinx, and Asian populations have the lowest rates of genetic counseling and testing. These important data can help find inherited mutations that could cause the disease. Huntsman Cancer Institute works to share the importance of knowing family cancer history, create easier access to genetic counseling and testing, and educate about hereditary cancers.