Exceptional cancer care, made possible through community support

“I’ve had many mammograms. I’m way over 40 years old,” Cheryll Kinsley says with a chuckle.

At 79, Cheryll brings humor and perspective to her experience with breast cancer. She also speaks with deep gratitude for the PeaceHealth caregivers who supported her through treatment.

This National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, her story reflects the kind of cancer care PeaceHealth strives to provide expert, compassionate and centered on the whole person.

After a mammogram detected cancer, Cheryll underwent a partial mastectomy with two surgeons at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center. Throughout her care, she remembers feeling respected and supported in the decisions she made.

“You’re worth it. You’re a human being, and we’re going to take care of you,” she recalls.

When Cheryll talks about her experience, she keeps returning to the people who cared for her.

“They made me well,” she says. “And they did it with humor, compassion and, dare I say, love.”

That same commitment guides cancer care across PeaceHealth. With support from donors and community partners, PeaceHealth continues to invest in the people, technology and programs that help patients receive exceptional care close to home.

Watch Cheryll's journey at PeaceHealth 

At PeaceHealth United General Medical Center, one of those investments is a new linear accelerator for radiation therapy. The technology, which treated its first patient at United General in May 2025, delivers faster, more precise treatment and expands the types of cancers caregivers can treat locally.

“These are common procedures that patients would have previously needed to travel elsewhere for,” says Neal Wychock, Clinical Manager of Radiation Oncology at United General.

For patients who may need treatment five days a week for several weeks, staying close to home can mean fewer hours on the road and more time with the people who support them. Advancements like the linear accelerator are strengthened by a community that believes in local cancer care.

Generous donations from community members, including VECA Electric & Technologies, helped make the new technology possible. VECA has continued that support through its annual Community Health Classic, which brings businesses, caregivers and neighbors together in support of United General’s Cancer Center.

This June, more than 200 people gathered at Avalon Golf Links in Burlington and raised $50,000 for the Cancer Center. Over four years, the tournament has raised approximately $160,000.

For VECA CEO Dave Reed, that support has personal roots. Reed grew up in Sedro-Woolley, where family and friends turned to what is now United General for care. Then, in 2013, he was diagnosed with advanced-stage lymphoma and underwent extensive treatment in the Seattle area. He has now been cancer-free for 12 years.

The experience gave him a clear understanding of what it can mean for a patient to receive treatment closer to home.

“I want to do everything I can to support that,” Reed says. “I know what people go through.”

His story is one of many behind the generosity that strengthens cancer care at PeaceHealth.

“There are people with stories about what PeaceHealth has done for them, people who work for PeaceHealth or who work as electricians,” Reed says. “There are people from all over the community who come together to participate in this thing.”

That community support helps PeaceHealth caregivers continue providing advanced, compassionate care for patients like Cheryll. It helps bring technology closer to home, strengthen programs for patients and families and give caregivers additional resources to care for the whole person.

For Cheryll, the impact of donor generosity is personal and clear.

“I’m alive today because of PeaceHealth,” she says.

During National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, PeaceHealth is grateful for patients like Cheryll who share their experiences and for donors and community partners who invest in the care of their neighbors.

Together, you help ensure exceptional cancer care is here when our communities need it.