Huntsman Cancer Institute

Thursday I met Jon Huntsman . . . in the bathroom.

Yes, the billionaires philanthropist and I shook hands in the men's bathroom before a special awards ceremony in which Glenn Beck presented (via telephone) the 'Restoring Honor Charity Award' in front of all of Huntsmans' employees. He was just as I imagined. Looking similar to the pictures that are found throughout the hospital. Only much kinder and lifelike. He reminded me of both of my grandpas. Except he had a bodyguard.

I told him I was just an intern on the first floor in the patient outreach and navigation department.
To which he responded that he was grateful for my willingness to contribute to the place.

Then I thanked him for building a hospital that has cured my aunt of cancer. And that has helped so many others.
To which he responded that it has cured him too. (Three different times I believe).

Then he finished washing his hands and went to accept his award from a predictably emotional Glenn Beck.

All my co-workers kept telling me that I was bound to run into him. I just never thought it would be in the restroom.

Later that night, after dinner, I took my parents on a tour of the building before they flew off to Hawaii the next morning.





My mom had been before, but it was my dad's first time. We all can agree that it doesn't resemble a hospital very well. More like a hotel. With all glass windows, huge lobbies, flat screen tvs, hardwood and granite floors, guest rooms with views of the salt lake valley, valet parking, and two restaurants. Jon Huntsman himself said that when they cure cancer, he is "going to turn it into a marriott resort."

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Working at the Huntsman Cancer Institute has been amazing. This experience trumps any other job that I have ever worked. The actual internship is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I am so grateful for. I still don't understand why they chose me, but they did. And I sure hope they don't regret it.

Though it is a very demanding work schedule which involves lots of travel, I have found that I am the happiest at work. Being able to read all the latest advancements on cancer each morning when I open my email is inspiring and I am learning more about these diseases than I ever thought was possible.

Did you know that alcohol can cause breast cancer in women? Or that sometimes doctors don't treat prostate cancer because often times the treatment is more fatal than the actual cancer? Or that using a tanning bed even once in your lifetime can increase your risk of melanoma by 75%? Or that the HPV virus causes 99 % of cervical cancer and that the vaccine could eradicate it all together? Or that a cancerous lump the size of a small grape contains a billion cancer cells, which most likely have been growing for five to seven years before detected? Or that all cancer is genetic but only rare types are hereditary?

Right now I am working on needs assessments for men and women; in hopes that we can target specific populations in the area to get screened for colon cancer. On a typical day, I usually go out into the community and speak to businesses/organizations/schools/etc, and inform them of the mission of Huntsman Cancer Institute, while educating them on cancer 101, treatment, prevention, and screenings. The people I meet are very different. They question, argue, cry, sympathize, listen, and most importantly learn. They include:

Survivors.
Patients.
Friends.
Widows.
Students.
Healthcare workers.
Businessmen.
Teenagers.
Retirees.
Immigrants.
Parents.
and
Individuals who have all in one way or another been affected by cancer.

It is a word we commonly use to describe 200 plus diseases that we barely understand, let alone have a cure for. 1 out of 3 women, and 1 out of 2 men will develop at least some form of it in their lifetime, yet most of us can't even define it. And to this day, the word alone provokes fear and despair into our minds. Even me. It can be depressing. For example, when I see the kids no older than eight walking around the hospital lobbies holding hands with their parents, probably wondering why they have lost their hair. Or when I enter the elevator and see grown men with somber faces assisting their elderly parents with wheelchairs. Or when I see teenagers bringing balloons and flowers to their moms with pink ribbons on their shirts.

However, I am learning to be optimistic, because aside from the heartache and pain; we offer hope and education. Especially my department. We preach, educate, screen, checkup, and distribute information that is aimed toward prevention and early diagnosis - because we know that these two things can lead to a longer life and possible cures for the majority of us who will develop some type of cancer.

I have a lot to learn in the ever-developing world of cancer prevention and treatment, but I am loving this experience.

I highly doubt that I will ever work somewhere that does as much good in the world as Huntsman.
Probably because I will never again work for someone who "only makes money so that he can donate it."