It's official: Community Cancer Center dream now a reality

From left, Shelly Arth, Stan Moore, Dr. Mark Tungesvik, Fred Utlaut, Dr. William Decker, unknown person, Dr. Tim Ryan, Donna Huston, Ron Duvall, Connie Latimer, Dr. Bedford Knipschild, Janice Roberts, unknown person, Bud Summers, Dorothy Clements, Christie Boedeker, Mike Davis, Virginia Huston, Ken Yowell, Dr. Jack Uhrig, Georgia Yates, Gary Grote, George Brown, Ron Ott, Makenzie Thomason, Mallorie Hejmej, Dennis Sousley, Belinda Stephens, Heather Bourbon and Jene Crook. A number of other community leaders were present but cannot be seen in the photo. (Geoff Rands/Democrat-News) [Order this photo]

"Thanks go out to the thousands -- and I say thousands -- of people who worked thousands of hours and worked so hard to make our dreams a reality," said Fitzgibbon Hospital President and CEO Ron Ott. "Without you, and so many people from every community around Marshall, this just simply wouldn't be possible. Some people said it couldn't be done. Well, we're here today to say that it could be, and we did do it, we being thousands of people."

The center, said Ott, was six years in the making.

"I said recently, the best thing would be if we never needed this. It'd be the best $4 million we've ever invested, but the reality is we're going to need it and it's good that we have a quality program here for you," said Ott.

A number of staff were introduced to those present, including radiation oncologist Dr. William Decker and medical oncologist Dr. Mark Tungesvik, chemotherapy nurse Belinda Stephens, radiation therapist Heather Bourbon, radiation therapist Mallorie Hejmej and office manager Makenzie Thomason.

Co-chair for the capital campaign Dr. Jack Uhrig gave a few remarks to the crowd, saying, "We didn't get any stimulus money, we didn't get any tax support, we didn't get any bailout money, we didn't get any rebate on this, you all raised all that money. ... You should be proud of that."

He continued, "It's $2 million for that linear accelerator, another $500,000 for some of the building, another $500,000 for some of the furnishings, but the time my patients (don't have to spend driving) down to Columbia ... is what we call priceless."

Board Chairman Fred Utlaut added to Uhrig's statements, saying, "We didn't get any stimulus money, but we had a lot of stimulated people out there that went to work."

"Without all of you, this wouldn't have happened," said Marshall Mayor Connie Latimer, "and it makes me extremely proud, on behalf of the city, to thank each of you for what you did, for your part, no matter how big or how small, everything that you did to make this happen."

State Rep. Joe Aull, D-Marshall, spoke of many additions to Marshall and how each had their naysayers, including Salt Fork YMCA, Jim the Wonder Dog Park, Martin Community Center and Nicholas-Beazley Aviation Museum, yet each of these have seen plenty of use since their completion.

"This is the same thing. I'm sure there were people saying, 'Oh, you don't put cancer centers in small towns, they go in big cities.

Marshall can never put this together,' and look what's happened. And thanks for those of you who had the vision and the guts to stand up and say, 'Why not?' 'What if?' and 'Let's make it happen,'" Aull said.

Ott then invited cancer survivors, board members, staff members, all those who made the center possible and "anyone else who'd like to come up" to step forward and help cut the ribbon to mark the Community Cancer Center's opening.

Attendees were then welcomed inside the center and given a chance to tour the facility, see the linear accelerator and have some cake and punch.

Contact Geoff Rands at marshallreporter@socket.net