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New cancer center gets a hand Photo by Steve Johnson Sal Martinez of S&B James Construction installs one of 375 tiles along the Survivors Wall corridor at the new Providence Cancer Center. Each tile contains the handprint of a cancer patient. Survivors print message of hope By CHRIS BRISTOL The youngest was 6. Now she's 7. The oldest was 102. Now she's 103. Both survived cancer, the No. 2 killer of Americans after heart disease. Both found a symbolic way to inspire others. And they're not the only ones. Thursday is the grand opening of the new Providence Cancer Center, and construction workers put the finishing touches on the $10 million state-of-the-art facility this week with the installation of a uniquely instructive sculpture. Ceramic tiles, each imprinted with a hand, line a corridor called the Survivors Wall. There are 375 tiles in all, and each was made by someone like the little girl (kidney cancer) and the older woman (colon). Cancer claims the lives of 1,500 Americans every day, a depressing statistic that infuses the Survivors Wall with a powerful purpose, says Patty Jensen, a spokeswoman for Providence Medford Medical Center. "What this wall says is, `This is a place of hope and courage,"' she says. "The message is clear." See for yourself. Hospital staff plan to dedicate the wall Thursday at 4:30 p.m., followed by a 90-minute open house starting at 5:30 that includes tours of the cancer center. The address is 940 Royal Ave., between East McAndrews Road and Spring Street. The tiles were made last year as part of National Cancer Survivors Day, and Jensen says at least 150 survivors are scheduled to attend the dedication ceremony. "They haven't seen their tiles since the day they were made," Jensen says. "I think they'll be impressed with the wall." They probably will be impressed with the cancer center, too. At more than 17,000 square feet, the facility occupies the entire ground floor of the new four-story Providence Pavilion and boasts some of the most sophisticated and advanced radiation technology in the world. At the top of the list is a linear accelerator, which minimizes side effects with high-dose radiation to specific areas. It is one of just five units in the United States, and the only one in the Northwest. The facility also includes a cancer library; an eight-unit apartment for out-of-town patients and their families; and a garden sanctuary that features walkways, private areas with benches and a waterfall. But the most eye-catching feature of the center is the Survivors Wall. Of course, there is no cure yet for cancer. Sadly, some of the survivors whose tiles adorn the walls have since succumbed. For that reason, Jensen stresses the symbolism of the wall. "Every day that people survive is a miracle," she explains. "The wall says, `I survived that day."' Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA