Sweetwater Regional Cancer Center receives donations

Scout troop donates blankets and care packages

The Sweetwater Regional Cancer Center recently was gifted a generous donation of 48 blankets, care packages, and port pillows for patients from the Boy Scouts of America's Girl Troop 1869. This project was led by senior patrol leader, Tiana Lester, as part of her Eagle Scout project.

"I started making these in January and then was able to get the rest of our troop involved in this project," Lester explained.

The care packages that the troop put together include water bottles, candies, crossword puzzles, and socks and will be offered to current and future patients. The port pillows, made to protect a patient's port in case of an accident, are for chemotherapy patients to use while traveling in a vehicle. The donated blankets will be given to current patients.

"We love that the community supports our cancer patients and are so grateful for their donations. It's gifts like this that we can then give to our patients that really elevate our patient's experience and help them feel more comfortable while receiving treatment," said Tasha Harris, the Director of Radiation Oncology.

The Sweetwater Regional Cancer Center just recently started its second clinical trial through SWOG, a federally funded program by the National Cancer Institute. This trial focuses on Reaching Rural Cancer Survivors Who Smoke Using Test-Based Cessation Interventions by studying the effectiveness of a quit-smoking text-based program for rural cancer patients.

The Sweetwater Regional Cancer Center, an affiliate of the Huntsman Cancer Institute, is a state-of-the-art facility that offers a range of services and specialties including hematology and medical oncology, chemotherapy and infusion area, radiation oncology, radiology, specialty laboratory services, and various medical and surgical specialties. In addition, the cancer center also includes a licensed clinical social worker, a registered dietitian, a patient financial navigator, a lymphedema therapist, and a genetic counselor.

Run with Sandy 5K raises over $1,000

The Sweetwater Regional Cancer Center was recently honored with a $1,220 donation from Western Wyoming Community College's Run with Sandy 5K event.

"It's great to see so many community members come out to support this event annually and give back to our cancer center. We're so fortunate to have a regional cancer center right here so people don't have to travel for treatment," said Lena Warren, the Community Outreach Director at Memorial Hospital of Sweetwater County.

Honoring Sandy Mitchell, a former Biology professor at WWCC who lost her battle with breast cancer in 2017, the college announced that the 5K run would be an annual event to honor Mitchell as well as honor all those who battle cancer.

"I had Sandy when I went to Western years ago. She was so animated and made class fun. I can still think back to her and the impact she had on us," explained Tiffany Marshall, the Executive Director of the Memorial Hospital Foundation. "We are so grateful to WWCC for the continued partnership in honoring Sandy while supporting our cancer center and the patients in our community."

The Sweetwater Regional Cancer Center, an affiliate of the Huntsman Cancer Institute, is a state-of-the-art facility that offers a range of services and specialties including hematology and medical oncology, chemotherapy and infusion area, radiation oncology, radiology, specialty laboratory services, and various medical and surgical specialties. In addition, the cancer center also includes a licensed clinical social worker, a registered dietitian, a patient financial navigator, a lymphedema therapist, and a genetic counselor.

To learn more about the Sweetwater Regional Cancer Center, make a donation, or learn about ways to get involved, contact Tiffany Marshall at tmarshall@sweetwatermemorial.com or by calling 307-352-8234.