Whether it’s a family member, friend, colleague, or even personally — we have all been affected by cancer in some way. My late father battled lung cancer, my mother is a breast cancer survivor, and several other family members and friends have been diagnosed with some form of cancer over the years. While some of you (like me) haven’t personally been diagnosed with this gut-wrenching disease, we know the unsettling impact it has made on our loved ones and neighbors. Becoming a positive light of support tothose battling this disease is the one way we can band together as a community in the fight against cancer. And the one thing we can all have….is HOPE.
City of Hope has been ranked one of “America’s Best Hospitals” in cancer by U.S. News & World Report for 13 consecutive years and is the Best in the West for Cancer care. I was so excited to hear they are moving in on cancer in my hometown, bringing their world class treatments and research to Orange County residents in 2021.
I was honored when the City of Hope Orange County team asked me to join them to spread messages of ‘hope’ with my hometown community at the Susan G. Komen ‘More than Pink’ walk. I was born and raised in Orange County and while I am currently a resident of LA, it’s always a cathartic experience when I go back to my hometown roots.
Dr. Wade Smith, COH OC’s first physician specializes in Breast cancer, as well as benign and malignant blood disorders. It was wonderful speaking to him, his RN Linda Buck and other residents who have been impacted by cancer. The annual event had a tremendous turn-out and the community support was incredible!
Attendees were able to leave messages of ‘hope’ on City of Hope’s signature Japanese wishing trees. The beautiful installation was placed in a pop-up “orchard” during the race to build awareness around their move to Orange County. I dedicated my message to my family members and loved ones. This experience brought me a sense of peace, as I tied my message tag to the tree.
When I spoke to Linda Buck RN and found out that nearly 20 percent of Orange County residents currently travel outside of the count to receive cancer care, I realized what a stressful situation that can impede on healing and recovery. Knowing what a toll this has taken on my family, it was a tremendous experience for me to able to spread the good news.
City of Hope is investing $1 billion for 21st-century cancer care in Orange County. Their state-of-the-art comprehensive cancer campus, which will open in Irvine in 2021, will include an outpatient center, a clinical research center with access to phase I-III clinical trials, preventative care that uses emerging technologies, and Orange County’s only specialty hospital focused
exclusively on cancer. They are also building a cancer specialist network of unparalleled scale for the community, beginning with a new facility to open in Newport Beach early next year.
For more information, you can go to CityofHope.org/OC.
This is a SPONSORED POST for City of Hope Orange County. All reviews and opinions expressed in this post are based on my personal view.
