At age 27, Dorthilen Haynes was shocked to learn she had aggressive triple negative breast cancer. But just before treatment was to begin, she would have another shock: she was four weeks pregnant.

The newly constructed, state-of-the-art Henry Ford Cancer Institute in Detroit’s New Center area has opened its doors for patients. “The opening of the Brigitte Harris Cancer Pavilion marks the beginning of a new era in cancer care,” said Wright Lassiter, III, President and CEO of Henry Ford Health System. “This investment is a testament to decades of cancer care innovation at Henry Ford Hospital, where we’ve developed and delivered first in the world care. “This is a transcendent moment in the fight against cancer,” said Steven Kalkanis, M.D., CEO of Henry Ford Medical Group and Chief Academic Officer of Henry Ford Health System. “At a time when our society has endured extraordinary challenges, the opening of this new Henry Ford Cancer Institute location in Detroit is a beacon of hope in the lives of everyone affected by this disease.

Then he took a deep breath and told Higgins, who had been the radio voice of Michigan hockey for 25 years, that a biopsy would determine if he had oropharyngeal cancer. (Used with permission from Henry Ford Health System)After radiation, taste usually returns in three months and dry mouth often reverses within a year, Siddiqui said. Al Randall Higgins. (Henry Ford Health Systems.) I want to live to help other people,” said Higgins, who volunteers to drive cancer patients to their appointments.

It was that her breast cancer defied isolation. Converging events propelled her to receive chemotherapy this spring at the Henry Ford Cancer Institute, where enhanced safety measures continue to deliver uninterrupted cancer care in the face of COVID-19. Late that night, the physician contacted a colleague at Henry Ford’s Breast Cancer Program. In less than a week, Krygier met with the Henry Ford breast cancer team. As part of her plans to help others through cancer, Krygier offered some advice: Listen to yourself.

The artwork of about 100 patients, staff and caregivers of the Henry Ford Cancer Institute will be compiled into a traveling exhibit beginning Oct. 7, according to a release from the Henry Ford Health System. The exhibit, titled The First Word of Cancer is Can, is a collaboration between Lilly Oncology, a pharmaceutical company dedicated to cancer research and development, and Henry Ford Cancer Institutes art therapy program. Art therapy is believed to elicit feelings of hope, sense of control, and helps to develop coping skills for diagnosis-related depression and anxiety, according to the release. Research shows that those who participate in art therapy found it helpful in learning about new aspects of self, freeing from constraints, an evolving process of initial struggle to later resolution, according to an article in the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association. The exhibit will be making the following stops:Oct. 7-11: Henry Ford Macomb Hospital, Main LobbyOct. 15-18: Henry Ford Hospital, P2 hospital floor and K13 Infusion CenterInfusion Center Oct. 24-25: Henry Ford West Bloomfield Hospital, Main StreetThose interested in volunteering with the Henry Ford Cancer Institute can apply on the organization's website.