New Patients

Welcome to our Regional Cancer Care Center
an affiliate of the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance

Skagit Valley Hospital’s Regional Cancer Care Center offers comprehensive care, including medical oncology, radiation therapy and complementary therapy such as acupuncture. Our 20,000-square foot facility opened in December 2006 plus another 4,000-square-foot expansion opened in 2009 to meet the needs of our patients. The facility is located across 13th Street from the main entrance to Skagit Valley Hospital at 307 S. 13th Street in Mount Vernon, WA.

Our Regional Cancer Care Center has the physicians, certified oncology nurses, technologists and staff, along with the state-of-the-art technology, to provide you and your family the best local comprehensive cancer care possible in a compassionate and healing environment.

Our Regional Cancer Care Center was selected in 2005 as a network member of the prestigious Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, a partnership among Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, UW Medicine and Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center. The formal affiliation with SCCA brings the resources of these institutions, research and clinical trials to Skagit Valley Hospital’s patients and physicians.

Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and CarePages have teamed up to help patients and caregivers use the web to communicate with loved ones while going though treatment. The free service allows concerned family members and friends to access the most recent news about the patient and provide support in a way that isn't a burden. Find out more about CarePages.
 

A Patient's Perspective

Survivor finds new role: To inspire others

Becky Voelkel of Concrete says faith, family, friends and great care are carrying her through treatment for multiple myeloma.

Voelkel was diagnosed with the disease in September 2008. According to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation, the incurable but treatable disease is a cancer of the plasma cells in the blood. The Foundation estimates nearly 20,000 new cases are diagnosed annually in the United States.

For Voelkel, who also has Type 2 diabetes, the illness was spotted before she had any obvious symptoms during routine checks with her primary care physician who noted an elevated protein in her blood in May 2008.

“I wasn’t feeling sick. I wasn’t feeling any pain,” she said. “What I’ve learned is most people go undiagnosed, so, by the time it’s found, it’s much more serious.”

The protein numbers escalated dramatically in the course of a few months and by August 2008 she was referred to the Skagit Valley Hospital Regional Cancer Care Center.

“By August, I started piecing together how sick I really was,” she said. “Lucky for me, they are making great strides with multiple myeloma. It’s now become a chronic, treatable illness.”

The official diagnosis came in September and she immediately started chemotherapy. She has responded well to the treatment and with key cancer indicators dropping she was referred to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance for consideration for a bone marrow transplant at the world-renowned Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. Skagit Valley Hospital Regional Cancer Care Center is a network affiliate of SCCA, providing patients with access to research, clinical trials and the latest in diagnosis and treatment.

She begins the final preparation process for a transplant in August and will have the procedure in September, using her own stem cells, followed by six months of monitoring and regaining strength.

“I feel blessed living so close to have access to a world-renowned, top research hospital,” she said. “My doctors here have been very open and are right on top of the latest in myeloma treatment. I am very impressed.”

Along the way, the self-described timid Voelkel has found a voice to talk to people about her cancer and her faith in God. She has continued to work at the Tree of Life Christian Outlet in Burlington and stays busy with fund-raising events to support her during the six months she is off for her transplant.

“People keep telling me that I’m an inspiration to them,” said Voelkel. “I know God is watching over me and it’s all in God’s time.”