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KENT DEEMTER

KENT DEEMTER

When Kent Deemter was diagnosed with cancer as a young husband and father, his world was turned upside down. That same day, one random thought made him laugh: What if his friends and family could go bald digitally, no clippers required? His sister-in-law heard about...

JULIA HAHN

JULIA HAHN

Julia Hahn had already lost her father to small cell lung cancer and witnessed her mother’s breast cancer survivorship when she was diagnosed herself with Stage IV pancreatic cancer in 2023. After her diagnosis, she’s had chemotherapy, 30 days of radiation, and a...

ERIN MURRAY

ERIN MURRAY

Erin Murray was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer at age 29 when she was six and a half months pregnant with her son Evan. “It was the biggest shock of my life, since I was feeling healthy and ecstatic about having a baby!” Erin recalled. “The following months...

DAVE MACKENZIE & MAGGIE MEAD

DAVE MACKENZIE & MAGGIE MEAD

Dave MacKenzie and his daughter Maggie Mead know the cost of cancer after losing their wife and mother, Paula, at the age of 62 in 2025. Paula was diagnosed at age 58 with Stage IV Atypical Metastatic Carcinoid Neuroendocrine/ALK Positive (a genetic defect) lung...

AMY GOEBEL

AMY GOEBEL

Amy Goebel’s life changed when her husband Matt, a devoted father to their blended family of four teens, was diagnosed with stage IV esophageal cancer in May 2023. The diagnosis came as a shock—Matt had no symptoms until the disease had already spread to his liver. He...

sexual trauma

Approaching Sexual Wellness in the Face of Sexual Trauma

It can be paralyzing to try and navigate sexual wellness and other health related matters following trauma, especially when it's sexual in nature. Nisha McKenzie PA-C, a Trauma-Informed Practitioner, Menopause Certified Practitioner, Sex Educator and Counselor, and...

Van Andel Institute

Dr. Kelsey Carpenter: Working to Understand Blood Cancers

Kelsey Carpenter, Ph.D. completed her doctorate in integrated biomedical sciences at Rush University in Chicago, Illinois, and is currently a postdoctoral researcher in the Grainger Lab at Van Andel Institute's Department of Cell Biology. It's here that Dr. Carpenter...

ArtPrize Grand Rapids

Theresa Anderson: Orchestrating ArtPrize from Behind the Scenes

From Cirque du Soleil to Grand Rapids, a creative force leads ArtPrize production into the future. When Theresa Anderson stepped into the role of Director of Production and Operations for ArtPrize in March 2024, she brought with her a globe-spanning career—and a deep...