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SALT LAKE CITY — The new Huntsman Cancer Institute building that stands over the Salt Lake Valley is a symbol of cancer patients' collective hopes and dreams and their desire to live, Rebecca Cressman, a radio host and cancer survivor, said.
She remembers the groundbreaking ceremony years ago, and, as a patient, it was powerful to watch the space built outside the windows while she was receiving treatment.
"It symbolizes a continuous commitment to provide the most advanced care in the world to all the patients," Cressman said.
She has been cancer free for four years now but she continues to help as a patient research advocate for the facility.
Work first started on the Kathryn F. Kirk Center, a significant expansion to the Huntsman Cancer Institute, in September 2019. A dedicatory celebration was held Monday at the completed site.
President M. Russell Ballard, acting president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, gave a dedicatory prayer, asking for a blessing on those who contributed to the building and provide care in the building, as well as dedicating the building for the healing of the sick.
"We pray … that the feeling of care and love will permeate the walls of this beautiful building," he said.
Cressman said her mother and grandmother both died of cancer. Her mom fought to get care at the Huntsman Cancer Institute, believing it was the most advanced cancer center in the world, but her health insurance would not cover treatment costs at the facility.
Cressman received routine mammograms because of her family history and, after her diagnosis, she was at the Huntsman Cancer Center the next day developing a treatment plan. The facility became not just a place for treatment, but a symbol of strength, protection and compassionate care. She said being there allowed her to rest her worries about cancer.
"It felt like everyone, from the moment we walked through these doors, gave compassionate care to all of us, to help us understand our cancer, to relieve our suffering and to create and provide better treatments today and tomorrow," Cressman said.
A legacy
Spencer Kirk, son of the new facility's namesake, thanked generous donors who joined his family in making the dream of the new center a reality. He said his mother raised 10 children while being involved in her church and community.
She died at 57 from metastatic cancer, after a life spent inspiring and lifting others. There is a tribute to Kathryn Kirk inside the building, that reads: "May all who enter through these doors find the hope they seek, be touched by the healing hands of God and lifted in body, mind and spirit," Kirk noted.
Peter Huntsman, chairman and CEO of the Huntsman Cancer Foundation, said the Huntsman family lived a few doors down from the Kirks. He said he believes Kathryn Kirk would not want her name on the building, but he thanked her and the family for letting them use it to promote hope.
"This building deserves her name. And it deserves the name of every other woman in our society who has given hope, who has given compassion, who has given understanding, who has given companionship, friendship, to make society better than it otherwise would be. That's what this is all about," he said.
Huntsman said he believes the Huntsman Cancer Institute should be able to help every Utahn — and, every insurance company should cover care at the facility.
"This institution belongs to the people of the state of Utah. It's yours," he said.
Space for care
The new area of the Huntsman Cancer Institute has beautiful recovery rooms for patients who have had a bone marrow transplant with space for supporting family members, an area for breast cancer screenings designed to provide privacy and a room where patients and staff can attend cooking and exercise health courses.
It is decorated with an American Indian art collection contributed by Karen Huntsman, including a piece that was a gift given to her and the institute at Monday's event.
Don Milligan, executive director at the Huntsman Cancer Institute's cancer hospital, said it is scheduling patients for care in the new building, but the first appointment isn't until June 5.
"Today is the day we get to show off this building to the public," he said. "This building has been in the plans — in the works for many years — and today, we open, we cut the ribbon, we get closer to our ability to provide care in this building."
The building provides an additional 48 inpatient beds, four more cancer-specific operating rooms, 20 exam rooms and the ability to provide more mammograms and endoscopies. He said he is thrilled with the tools and resources available.
"This just really enhances (and) expands our ability to provide care," Milligan said.
He said the facility doesn't currently have room for all of its patients, so this is necessary now, and it should cover growth over the next four to five years. He said leaders are working on other projects to expand care past that point, as well.
Milligan said, statistically, one in every two men and one in every three women get a cancer diagnosis of some kind, and the Huntsman Cancer Institute helps not just patients in Utah, but the five surrounding states.
"Unfortunately, we need a lot of cancer care here and everywhere," he said.
He said many cancers are preventable if people participate in screenings, eat a proper diet and exercise and manage stress. Milligan said a person hearing he/she has cancer can be one of the worst days in their lives, but cancers are much more treatable when diagnosed early.
Allison Sawyer, who is both a patient at the Huntsman Cancer Institute and an employee managing material services, was diagnosed with breast cancer in January.
"I feel so fortunate and so lucky to be here. I was already … preparing for this building to open and now I really have more of … an understanding of why it is so incredibly necessary," she said.
Treatment plans at the Huntsman Cancer Center are seamless, as everything is in the same place, and the new building will enhance that even more, Sawyer said.
"It is a format that is so comforting, and they care for you, and you feel that — you feel well cared for," she said.
Sawyer said she was connected with a genetic counselor for testing so she could get more information about her case before making a decision about treatment. Her oncologist wrote two pages of notes for her while they were talking, so she could refer back to them.
One in eight women is diagnosed with breast cancer, she said, adding that she encourages her friends to get their regular screening mammograms.
"(Women) take care of everyone else, and so we have to try to remind ourselves to also focus on screenings and remind ourselves to do that," she said.
The need to grow
Michael Good, senior vice president of health sciences at the University of Utah, said Huntsman Cancer Institute is taking a "giant leap forward" in compassionate care with its newest building.
"Health care is about people taking care of people. It's about one human being taking care of another. And this is so true of what happens to this facility every day," he said.
Good said the best minds in science and medicine want to join the Huntsman Cancer Institute in fighting cancer, and its staff members are the reason the hospital is consistently ranked as one of the top cancer hospitals in the country.
Utah House Speaker Brad Wilson said the project was made possible because of contributions from many individuals and organizations, and is an example of what can be accomplished through the "Utah way," which involves innovation and commitment to planning for the future. He said it is an example of growing responsibly and helping the community.
Wilson said U.S. News and World Report recently ranked Utah as the best state in the country, with the highest-weighted category being health care. He said Utah's economic growth and world class health care are due, in part, to the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
"This space is one of the ways that … we're making sure that we have the best access to cancer treatment and the best care in the world — right here in our own backyard," he said.
The increased capacity, Wilson said, is needed and is remarkable.
Research is foundational to cancer care, said University of Utah President Taylor Randall, adding that the Huntsman Cancer Institute is the only place in the region working to develop new treatments for cancers.
"The Kathryn F. Kirk Center is a testament to our commitment to eradicate cancer and will allow us to continue providing comprehensive care to our patients and communities," he said.
