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SYNTHESIS- Logo
A publication  of the UC Davis Cancer Center
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  B E N E F A C T O R S
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Current Issue: Fall/Winter 2003
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  BENEFACTORS
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GIFT OF COMFORT

Personal experience prompts personal donation

 "" PHOTO -- Sally and Doug Underwood made a difference
 
Sally and Doug Underwood made a difference.
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Sally Underwood has small, fragile veins that are difficult to locate with a needle. The elusive vessels often frustrated nurses when she donated blood, but until her cancer diagnosis three years ago, the delicate veins were never more than a minor hassle.

With frequent chemotherapy the once-minor nuisance became a major frustration. "The nurses at the Cancer Center often needed a lot of time to find a usable vein in my arm," Underwood recalls. "And sitting there in the Infusion Center, I realized that I was not the only one with difficult veins. Other patients had problems, too."

Underwood started asking questions. Cancer Center nurses told her about one solution — an ultrasound system specifically designed to find tiny blood vessels. The system could spare patients discomfort and save nurses time, but its price tag was high: $16,000.

Underwood, a retired community college instructor, talked it over with her husband, Doug, a retired math professor. After a brief discussion, the Davis couple decided to make a gift of the ultrasound system to the Cancer Center, its nurses, and its patients.

"The nursing staff is so wonderful, I really wanted to do something in return for them, and for cancer patients," says Sally, who continues to receive treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. "It makes a big difference when you are having chemotherapy treatments to be in a place that not only has excellent nurses but also is warm, supportive, and friendly, full of laughter and positive attitudes."

About the size of a laptop computer, the SonoSite iLook 25 is mounted atop a rolling stand that can move from patient to patient. A nurse puts some gel on the tip of a sturdy, hand-held sensor, which is placed on the patient's arm. Within seconds, an image forms on the screen, disclosing vessels beneath the skin. Finding a vein is quick and painless.

"This generous donation is greatly appreciated by staff and patients," says Kay Harse, a nurse manager who helps oversee chemotherapy for some 11,000 cancer patients a year.

Thanks to Sally and Doug Underwood, those treatments will be a little more comfortable.

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  "It makes a big difference when you are having chemotherapy treatments to be in a place that not only has excellent nurses but also is warm, supportive, and friendly, full of laughter and positive attitudes." — Sally Underwood  
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UC DAVIS CANCER CENTER
4501 X Street
Sacramento, CA 95817

cancer.center@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu

© 2003 UC Regents. All rights reserved.

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