Ten years in the planning, the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center’s new expansion opens up a world of opportunities for patients and staff alike.

Ten years in the planning, the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center’s new expansion opens up a world of opportunities for patients and staff alike.

JP Avilla was 15 and a rising football star when he was abruptly sidelined with hip pain and bouts of vomiting. His pediatrician in Truckee referred him to UC Davis Medical Center, where a pediatric oncologist diagnosed him with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Many of the pieces selected for the new wing of the cancer center reverberate with humor — along with light, color, whimsy, fantasy, joy, contemplation, awe and tranquility.

Enrique Manjarrez experienced homophobia firsthand during an annual preventive care visit to a physician. "The doctor was completely homophobic and made extremely rude remarks while examining me," says Manjarrez, an education and prevention manager at Breaking Barriers.

Albert Plante woke up from surgery to remove an inflamed appendix to a crushing surprise. His surgeon, seeing abnormalities on his pre-op blood tests, sampled his liver during the operation and found what turned out to be stage IV non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.