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SALT LAKE CITY — After a prolonged stay at the hospital, most people would likely rather not return to its sterile halls anytime soon.
But that wasn't the case for Sandy Crandell, a cancer survivor who volunteers in the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinic at the Huntsman Cancer Institute. The clinic is recognizing her for her service during Volunteer Week, which runs April 15-21.
"If I could put a smile on somebody's face who's here, who doesn't have family here, kinda get to know them, kinda tell them my side of the story and give them hope, then that's what I wanted to do," Crandell said Tuesday.
In 2015, she had stroke-like symptoms, and doctors diagnosed her with stage 4 intravascular lymphoma, a rare form of cancer that affects the brain.
Crandell, then 47, underwent treatment, eventually staying for 69 days in the clinic before she was cancer-free in September of the same year.
"I just said, 'You know, I need to just kinda give back to the doctors, the nurses, the (certified nursing assistants) who helped me come out on the other side,'" she explained.
She needed to wait until she was cancer-free for one year, and then she was able to volunteer in the place where she'd been cured.
Stocking nurses' carts and rooms with supplies, and filling bags with items patients will need during their stay are just some of the tasks Crandell does when she comes in once a week for four or five hours.
The cancer survivor said her favorite part of the job is talking with the patients to see how they're doing and to see how far they have come in their treatment and recovery.
"It's nice to get to know them, but it's also nice to get to see them go home," she said.
Though her service to cancer patients began almost two years ago, her commitment to helping others started long before.
Her husband is now retired after 25 years in the Air Force. At first, Crandell began volunteering on military bases as the family relocated. It started as a way for her and her young daughter to get to know people in a new place.
Later, when the family came to Utah, Crandell volunteered at Hill Air Force Base, helping military wives and younger airmen "from the experience I had," she said.
Her ability to connect with people through shared experiences carried over to her volunteer work in the Huntsman Cancer Institute. She can relate to the patients, and they are often able to open up to her, Crandell said.
They are usually surprised when they find out she was also undergoing treatment there only three years ago.
"It's just nice to be able to give them that hope, that I was where they are at," she said.
Forest Holmes, from Pocatello, Idaho, has been in the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinic for four weeks receiving treatment for leukemia.
He has gotten to know Crandell a bit during his stay.
"You get a parade of people come through here, and some of them are pretty memorable. And Sandy was one of those memorable people for two reasons," he said.
"She was very personable … when you have a volunteer who's here to help, they're giving of themselves, but they're also giving some of their experiences to help you gain an understanding of 'this is what it was like for me.' So there's a shared bond there, if you will," he added.
Holmes believes the people, including staff, doctors and volunteers, are among the best aspects of the Huntsman Cancer Institute.
"You get not just your health taken care of, but you take care of the patient as a person, too," he said.
Louise Swensen, manager of volunteer services, says the hospital's 120 volunteers donated 12,000 hours of service last year, collectively putting in the work of six full-time employees.
Many of the volunteers are cancer survivors and have a unique ability to help patients because "they understand what they're going through," Swensen said.
Volunteers help the hospital with different tasks, including pushing the snack cart, talking to patients about their experiences, helping with stocking supplies and even playing music in the lobby, among other volunteer positions.
Carlie Gluch, a nurse in the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinic, helped Crandell when she was there in 2015.
Now, the cancer survivor helps her and other nurses in turn.
"I think Sandy's the only reason we ever have gloves in the room," the nurse said.
Crandell said her experience with cancer changed the way she sees life. The message she shares with cancer patients?
"You've just gotta keep fighting. There's a future … just fight for it," she said.
For information about volunteering opportunities, visit the Huntsman Cancer Institute's website, huntsmancancer.org/giving/volunteering/opportunities.php.
