S1, E92: American Cancer Society - Brook & Susan

Donate Here: https://acscan.donordrive.com/participants/3216

Fork Cancer Tickets Here: https://utah.acscanforkcancer.org/food-drink-entertainment-2/ (Tastemaker Erik Nilsson at checkout)

Susan Gatrell and Brook Carlisle from the American Cancer Society pull back the curtain on what this 112-year-old organization actually does beyond its familiar name recognition. Their passionate insights reveal how ACS serves as the essential but often invisible scaffolding supporting both cancer patients and the healthcare system itself.

Did you know the American Cancer Society conducted the groundbreaking research that established the connection between smoking and cancer? This revelation sparked worldwide policy changes that have saved countless lives – from banning smoking on airplanes to creating smoke-free restaurants. It's just one example of how ACS operates at multiple levels simultaneously to create lasting change.

The conversation brings to light Utah's Hope Lodge, celebrating its tenth anniversary as the second busiest such facility in the nation. This sanctuary provides free lodging for patients traveling more than 40 miles for treatment, creating not just a place to stay but a community where patients and caregivers find understanding among others walking the same difficult path. At just $70 per night in operating costs, donations directly translate to tangible support for patients at their most vulnerable moments.

Against a backdrop of threatened research funding and alarming increases in cancer diagnoses among younger populations, the urgency of ACS's mission becomes clear. With over 80% of donations directly impacting patients through research, advocacy, prevention programs, and direct services, ACS touches approximately 55 million people annually. From gas cards for transportation to patient navigators guiding the newly diagnosed, these services extend far beyond what most people realize.

The upcoming Fort Cancer event represents an innovative approach to fundraising – creating an experience people would enjoy regardless of the cause while supporting critical advocacy work. With unlimited food and drinks from local vendors, this community gathering transforms giving into a celebration.

Join us next Friday at the Gallivan Center for Fort Cancer, where your ticket directly supports ACS's mission to reduce suffering and death from cancer – a disease that may not discriminate, but an organization determined to meet it with equal force through research, advocacy, and compassion.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
What is up everybody and welcome back to another
episode of the Small Lake CityPodcast.
I'm your host, eric Nilsson, andthis week we are joined by
Brooke Carlisle and SusanGatrell, both directors at the
American Cancer Society.
A lot of people have heard aboutAmerican Cancer Society, or ACS
, and know that it is anonprofit that helps with cancer

(00:21):
patients and cancer survivors,but a lot of people have
questions about what do theyactually do, what do they
support, what do they fund andwhat do they do for the local
community.
And thankfully, these are thethings that we touch base on the
episode today.
But we also talk about theevent coming up next Friday for
cancer at the Gallivan Center,where you can join me and them

(00:43):
and a lot of the othertastemakers and members of the
community where we have afundraiser where we can party
together to help support cancerand cancer research.
So in case you want to join methere, the link is in the show
notes for this episode where youcan buy tickets or donate
directly to the American CancerSociety, and that will help me
in my fundraising efforts as atastemaker as well.

(01:05):
But let's jump into it and hearfrom me, brooke and Susan about
ACS and how we can help supportour community.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
I'm sure Gwen would love it.
It's just that you want toraise her.

Speaker 1 (01:18):
Yeah, wait, you have a child named Gwen.
I do, that's my mother's name.
Oh, great name.
Is it Gwen or Gwendolyn?
It's Gwendolyn, okay, mymother's name, oh, great name is
is it gwen or gwendoline?
It's gwendoline, okay, mymother's a gwen, okay, and I so.
My niece's middle name is gwen,but her name is like kate, gwen
swindle oh nice and so it'sironic because, like people like
, oh, is it katherine gwendoline, right?
it's like no, no, no heartconsonants, only kate gwen
swindle.
Yeah, I love that.

(01:39):
She's great.
She is a sour patch kid ball ofenergy.
Every time time I see her I'mlike, hey, kate, can I brush
your hair?
She's like, no, I'm like I wishyou would, but it would have
been so cute One day.
Pick your battles, yeah, but I'mexcited, well, because it's
funny, and I'll probably takethis part out because it's funny
.
Well, not funny, it's just athing.
So once Avery reached out toonce upon a time being like hey,

(02:02):
congratulations, you've beennominated to be a tastemaker,
tastemaster, tastemaker yeah,see, and we can take them out.
See, there's all the both in apodcast.
I can say what all I want andjust take it out and wait.
And at first I'm like is thislike a fraudulent email?
Is there a king in Africatrying to get money from me?
And then I, so my family's allin medicine, for the most part

(02:22):
mom's pediatrician, dad's- okaystepdad's pediatrician.
My dad was a pd, uh, pediatricneuropsychologist.
Oh wow, sister's a pa and Ilook at numbers and spreadsheets
in.
So I was like, is this legit?
Like yeah.
And they're like, oh yeah, likeacl, like yeah, very well known
like organization in medicalcommunity and cancer community.
I was like okay, cool, um.

(02:43):
And then it was fun, just likehear more about it, and like I
mean I'll always try to use myplatform that I have for as much
good as I can, yeah, um, andbad as I can, let's have fun
with it um, but and but.
Like I feel bad because, likewhen they real first year, I'm
like I'm in, I can do this, andthen just like life just was
like right.
I thought we'd just get really,really busy.

(03:03):
And so I did text her because Iwent to the there's like the
event that they announced it atpierpont and like right before
that I was like, hey, it wasn't.
Like I can't do this, like I'mso sorry, I'm spread so thin.
If there's one thing that justcan't be it right now, it's this
.
And she's like in her typicalavril where she's like I'm here
to support you, like I will sendthe email, I will do this, you
give me the list, you don't like?

(03:23):
yeah go well exactly, and so itwas nice to have that and
especially just like learn moreabout because, like acs, I mean
I think it's a thing that a lotof people in theory know about,
like yeah, I mean it's.
I mean, even if you just say,like american cancer society,
people like, oh yeah, some sortof non-profit, of course answer
yeah right, yeah but it was funto just learn more about the
mission, be involved, meet someof the faces and get to know

(03:46):
more of the faces better aboutit.
So I'm excited to talk about itbecause, like not only like the
organization itself, and thenwe'll also talk about Fort
Cancer that we have coming upabout next weekend.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
Yeah, a week from Friday.

Speaker 1 (03:59):
yeah, I almost said it's Friday, it's not, it's
Wednesday.
Wow, that's how the we got that, um.
But because I always look andadmire people who dedicate their
professional career, theirtowards an organization like
that, because like there's Imean, if you go off on a tangent
about, uh, late stagecapitalism that we're in and how
the moral line between moneyand moral values gets blurred a

(04:23):
lot in today's society, so II'll always admire and look up
to those people that do keep iton their back of being like no,
no, no, there's people who needhelp in a very vulnerable time
of their life and we're going tobe the organization to help
them.
So, long story short, thank youfor all that you do, absolutely
, and excited to hear more, notonly about, I mean, acs, but
both of your stories of kind, ofwhat brought you and kept you

(04:44):
in this.
So thanks for coming on.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
Thanks for having us, yeah.

Speaker 1 (04:47):
No, I mean I'm excited for it because we have
Susan and Brooke from ACS.
I'll let them introducethemselves kind of their roles
and we can go kind of one by oneof how we ended up sitting
across from each other on acouch today.

Speaker 2 (04:59):
Yeah, perfect, do you want to go?

Speaker 3 (05:00):
first Sure.

Speaker 1 (05:02):
Do it.

Speaker 3 (05:02):
Yeah, my name is Susan Gartel.
I'm the director for the stateof Utah for ACS.
I've been here almost two yearsas far as with ACS Cool Been in
Salt Lake for about six yearsnow, which I'm excited about as
well.
But I think, just like everyoneyou know, I had three
grandparents die of cancer, soonly one was spared A pretty

(05:25):
terrible family history and havetested positive for a couple
gene mutations that actuallymake me more susceptible to it
as well, which I kind ofrecently discovered.
So a little bit sobering, but Ithink, yeah, it's just the
ubiquity of cancer just makes itthat I think you can't really
find a person that doesn't havesome sort of tie.

(05:46):
So my maternal grandfatherspecifically, I kind of watched
him die within a week, just kindof slowly getting worse and
worse over, I guess not slowly,pretty rapidly.
So that was when I was ateenager and was a very
impactful experience for me.
And, yeah, I've always been innonprofits.

(06:07):
I don't know why.
I just like getting paid alittle not very well, no, but I
do.
I feel like it is somethingthat I can use, some of the
things that I'm good at to makea difference and this is
obviously a worthy cause.

Speaker 1 (06:20):
Because I think.
I mean, I was looking over yourLinkedIn.
Was it MS?
No, it wasn't MS, it was, wasit?

Speaker 3 (06:30):
We'll come back to MS .
I've got it.
So what other nonprofits haveyou worked for in the past?
I mean, I have a weird journey.
I was actually a professionalballet dancer for 15 years.
That was my first nonprofitthat I worked for.
Talk about not getting paidwell, but I loved it.
Obviously that was something Idreamed about doing.
But as a dancer you are kind ofa commodity and so interacting

(06:51):
with boards and donors wassomething that we were asked to
do pretty often, and havinggalas to be is a fundraiser, but
that really kind of.
You know, I knew that thedancing was a short career.
I actually wanted to be alawyer.

(07:12):
I got a degree in politicalscience and just kind of life
meanders, and it kind of led meinto it.
It's not linear and you knewfrom the age of 10 that you were
going to be the director forUtah, for the Dance Society,
knew from the age of 10 that youwere going to be the director
for Utah, for the Kansas Society, exactly, yeah, I think right,
but I just kind of been open toall those different experiences
and yeah, they've led me hereand that kind of skill set of, I

(07:33):
think, being in front of people, not being shy in public, like
all of that performance stuff.
I think the fake it till youmake it, sometimes asking for
money can be intimidating andyou know, just kind of
pretending like it didn't botherme until it really didn't
bother me, you know.
So that was my strange kind ofjourney into fundraising, at
least in nonprofit work.

Speaker 1 (07:53):
Yeah, because you mentioned you're from Arizona
originally.
Yes, and then hopped around abunch of different places.
I mean, what were those placesand what made you eventually be
like know what?
I agree with this guy bring himyoung.

Speaker 3 (08:03):
This is the place um, yeah, so I uh, phoenix, chicago
, milwaukee, sacramento, bozeman, um, is that it here?
Those are the main ones.
Okay, yeah, and I think, uh,this is I was telling you before
this is definitely the mostbeautiful place I've lived in,

(08:25):
um, even compared to montana,which is unpopular.
When I tell people from bozemanthat, uh, our mountains are
just yeah, for someone who lovesbeing outdoors, which I do uh,
it's, it's kind of hard tocompete with um, and I also I
have my sister.
She moved here, also as atransplant and so, yeah, I feel

(08:46):
like just kind of finding theniche here.
There's just a lot of thingsthat I feel like make Salt Lake
kind of a unique place to liveall the negatives and they're so
kind of overbearing if it'slike the focus of a lot of
things.

Speaker 1 (09:06):
But then I always love talking to people,
especially people who have hadmore than I mean a handful of
places that they've lived,because they're like, listen,
like, if you want outdoors andlike accessibility to it, hard
to beat, but then I mean evenlike on the topic of montana,
which means still harder to getto.
But then like seeing salt lake,like with the economy that it
has, and like this metropolitanarea and like the jobs that it
does, it's really hard to beat.

(09:27):
Yep, um and like I was even inLA earlier this week and it was
interesting.
Like there's one co-worker Ihave, he lives in Baltimore,
used to live in Colorado Springs, and he's like so, like from
like where you live, likewhere's the closest?
Like trail, like if you were tojust be like I'm gonna go hike
or go trail around, trail run,I'm like five minutes because
I'm right, I'm like in MarmaladeDistrict, so I can go to the
bottom of the City Creek, I cango.
I mean there's like a handfulof places I can just go

(09:49):
disappear to and then I mean ifI expand that, like what?

Speaker 3 (10:01):
10, and you can be, yeah, in the wilderness, totally
.
Yeah, it's hard to be.

Speaker 1 (10:06):
And so how did you end up joining ACS?
Did they come to you?
Did you go to them?

Speaker 3 (10:11):
We came to each other .
Yeah, I was working as adirector for another nonprofit
and you know was looking formore mission alignment and ACS
was hiring, so we kind of uh,yeah, got got connected and yeah
, it's been a, it's been a goodmatch.

(10:31):
I think that there's a lot ofwork.
We have um.
You know, from an oncology lenslike the, the teams, um, and
the expertise that we have alongthe Wasatch front are.
I mean, I remember being inBozeman and people were getting
airlifted to Salt Lake.
I mean, if we look at Vegas andthe population there and what a

(10:52):
desert they have as far ashealthcare and quality
healthcare, we are justincredibly lucky to have that,
and especially from an oncologyperspective as well.
So you know, Utah is, salt Lakespecifically is that magnet.
So there's so many servicesthat we need that we're
providing services for peoplefrom a variety of different
states.

(11:12):
I mean we can talk more aboutour Hope Lodge in a bit, but
we're the second largest orsecond busiest Hope Lodge in the
country, second only to likethe Dallas-Fort Worth area, and
I think that speaks to, you know, the quality of care we have,
where we're attracting people tothe Wasatch Front for the care
once they get that diagnosis.

Speaker 1 (11:31):
And that's one thing I love about.
I mean it goes dovetails wellwith what I was saying about the
economy and like the amenitiesthat we have as a city.
I mean even I guess again justdouble-clicking on oncology I
mean we have Huntsman Cancerright there.
We have the University of Utahright next to it and I mean both
my mom and stepdad both went tomedical school there, and so

(11:53):
it's like interesting to justhear about.
And I like what you were sayingabout, like the mission
alignment, where I mean it's gotto be hard to fundraise for
things that either A doesn'tnecessarily touch you personally
as much as other things andlike unfortunately, I mean I
can't think of a single personthat hasn't been touched
personally by cancer in theirown life, and so like that's one
thing before we jump over tobrooke is like the thing that

(12:13):
you have acs be an organizationthat I wanted to partner with is
because, like I mean just usingmy experiences, like in college
, one of my, my best friends,tanner too, he was diagnosed
with testicular cancer.
His senior year of college hadto take a pause and I mean my
day was literally go to camp, goto school on campus, go hop in

(12:33):
my car, go drive up to HuntsmanCancer and go sit with him and
eat with him, I mean, dowhatever I needed to during the
first part, and then slowly justwatched him go to chemo the
entire time.
And then, at that almost exactsame time, one of my other
friends from school, brynnSorrell she, I mean at first I'm
like, oh, you have likesomething in your back going on.
We don't really know what'sgoing on.
And then they're like, well, wethink it's this cancer, we're

(12:56):
going to treat you for that.
And then came back like,actually, it's this really rare
tumor, tumor and you probablyhave like three months left.
And then so she passed awayfebruary 2020.

Speaker 2 (13:11):
um, I mean like 27 28 years actually probably less
than that anyway um and so it'slike.

Speaker 1 (13:14):
But then it's like hard when I talk to friends and
it's like almost all of myfriends these days have these
stories of like oh, my friendshave had cancer yeah, and even
comparing to like I mean myolder siblings or my parents.
I mean, like, how many friendsdo you have that have had cancer
?
Yeah, and even comparing tolike I mean my older siblings or
my parents.
I mean, like, how many friendsdo you have that have had cancer
in the last of their lives too?
And it's like this ratiodoesn't make sense, right, and
like we're seeing in today'sworld, these rates of cancer go

(13:34):
up, which is like a lot ofpeople scratching their head
Cause, like we've done so muchwork, I mean there's so many
contributing factors Not muchyeah and yeah, I mean there's, I
think, a couple differentthings there and I'll let Brooke
talk too.

Speaker 3 (13:46):
But like we can get into statistics and the reasons.
Some of it is positive thatwe're screening people earlier
we had more technology alreadyhatching them earlier, and
that's great Part of it is alsodiet and lifestyle, and we know
that too.
So we are definitely seeing anincrease in younger and younger
diagnoses.
But as far as, like, I thinkthe other thing about mission
alignment is we've seen the ROI,we've seen the return on

(14:09):
investment.
Like we know that investingmoney in cancer research saves
lives, because we've seen thisincredible drop in mortality
since 1991.
And which is why kind of Ithink that that this is so like
topical and timely too, as we'retalking about funding, like we

(14:31):
want to talk about right like aproven track record of how to
impact like a large amount ofpeople it's investing in cancer
research and we've gone aheadand decided that that's not
something that you know we wantto do.
No one will come out and reallysay that because it's unpopular
in theory.
But I think when people hearabout like curing cancer,
they're like, oh my gosh, we'llnever do that, but like we're

(14:52):
talking about making it asurvivable.
You know diagnosis and ofcourse, there's like over 100
types of cancer so we can'tspeak to all of them.
But yeah, there really isprogress that has been made and
will continue to be made and Ithink, more importantly, a stop
to that progress equals likepeople unfortunately dying
Literally.
Yeah, so not to make like itsuper like all the time, but
then there is this macabre sideof it.

Speaker 1 (15:14):
Oh, I can't just be all hoping butterflies and roses
.
I mean want it to be more ofthat.
But yeah, it's the world welive in.
Yeah, yeah.
But let's jump over to Brooke,because I'm curious how Brooke
got to be here today.

Speaker 2 (15:25):
Let's do it.
So I'm Brooke Carlisle.
I'm the Regional GovernmentRelations Director for the
American Cancer Society CancerAction Network.
Wow, I know.

Speaker 3 (15:34):
I know A business card that's like this long.

Speaker 1 (15:36):
Yeah, it's an eight and a half by eleven.

Speaker 2 (15:46):
We have to say cancer twice.
That's how much we dislike it.
Just so you know.
We say ACS can for short, forobvious reasons, because what I
just laid out was a mouthful.
What that means is I do all ofour like lobbying, government
relations and advocacy work inthe state of Utah.
So I spend my days talking tostate legislators, asking them
to vote a certain way or keepcancer patients in mind when
they are at our state capitalmaking decisions.
Most recently spent more timetalking to our federal

(16:09):
delegation and asking them tovote a certain way on a recent
piece of legislation, again tokeep cancer patients in mind as
they're making their policydecisions.
So I've been.
I just hit my 13 yearanniversary at ACS CAN.
I know I've been there a hotminute and I've been in Utah 20,

(16:31):
I think it'll be 19.
I think I'm at 19 years thisyear Wow.

Speaker 1 (16:36):
So what man?
13 years.
So what brought you originallyto ACS and what keeps you there?

Speaker 2 (16:41):
Um, I mean the answer is like I think it's twofold.
The simple answer is this isliterally what I went to school
for.
I'm one of those like I thinkrare people who is like using
their degree.
So I literally like I know,like I mean I think people use
their degree.

(17:02):
You know what I mean.
But, like I literally went toschool to do my job, I have
concentrated in health carepolicy and now I do health care
policy.
So the simple answer is it'swhat I wanted to do.
Acs Can hired me and they werehiring.
I applied for the job, muchlike Susan said, like I and
cancer has been like anunfortunate, like constant in my

(17:24):
life.
I and cancer has been like anunfortunate, like constant in my
life.
Like my first memory is losinga classmate in, I want to say,
the fifth grade and mygrandmother passed away from
breast cancer.
My mom went through breastcancer six years ago and luckily
caught very early.
Her treatment was, as treatmentgoes worse, easy.

(17:46):
I'll put that in quotes, butshe would tell you the same
thing, um, and she's doing great, which is wonderful.
She had her, just her, her fiveyear mark.
So she's you know, she got tofire her oncologist and
hopefully that never has to goback to Hansman Cancer Institute
again.
Fingers crossed, um.
And then we just locked myfather-in-law a couple of years
ago, um, from throat cancer thathad spread.

(18:08):
So, um, it's just kind ofalways been there and, like you
said, there's.
I've only met one person who atthe beginning of our meeting
was like I've never been touchedby cancer, I don't know anyone.
By the end of the meeting helike remembered a family member
that had cancer.
I was like unfortunate youdidn't remember.
Like at the beginning of thisdiscussion, like poor, poor, I

(18:28):
think it was an aunt.
You're a poor aunt.

Speaker 1 (18:32):
You know, sometimes you need to go through an
experience and be like oh wait,my number.
Oh yeah, I remember.
All of a sudden this likechildhood trauma just starts
getting at you.
I know, yeah.

Speaker 2 (18:40):
We're having like a therapy session by the end of
our meeting, but it'sunfortunately something that's
impacted everybody's life andthat has what.
That's what's kept me at ACS,can it's?
You know?
You're kind of starting everyconversation from a common
ground of cancer's impacted yourlife in some way, shape or form
.
What are we going to do aboutit?

Speaker 1 (19:00):
Right and I mean it's very timely, especially, I
would assume, in your role and,like Susan, jump in too if you
have opinions, which I assumeyou do.
But there's been a lot ofchanges in I mean funding
nationally towards a lot ofthings.

Speaker 2 (19:17):
But I would assume that cancer research funding has
been impacted by that as well.
Absolutely, it's been reallyinteresting to watch.
I think when the newadministration came into
Washington DC in January, wejust started to see a ton of
funding cuts.
Universities were having theirfunding cut.
People who had received grantsfrom NIH were receiving
termination letters that theirgrants had been terminated.

Speaker 3 (19:39):
That's National Institute of Health.

Speaker 2 (19:40):
Yes, sorry, I live in a world of acronyms.
We're all living our ownbubbles of the acronym drop,
some of that funding of coursebeing in Utah.
But, like Susan said, I meanthere's nothing in the cancer

(20:13):
world Like that's how we've madeso many advances over the years
and nobody's pro-cancer right.
So it's been so interesting tokind of see this threat to
cancer research happen.
It's historically such abipartisan issue Republicans,
democrats, everyone'santi-cancer.
So unfortunately it's, I think,really under threat right now.

Speaker 1 (20:38):
Yeah, and I mean, how does that feel with the
conversations that you have withpoliticians right now?
Do you feel like it's you'refalling on deaf ears, or do you
feel like they like more, likethey're like, oh yeah, let's do
something.
But in reality, it's notnecessarily their actions are
aligning with their words.

Speaker 2 (20:57):
I will say I don't think it's falling on deaf ears.
I mean, I won't get too intothe weeds about the
congressional budget process,that's.
I don't know that that'sinteresting to anybody.
I do it step by step.
Yeah, I know that's notinteresting to anyone but me.

Speaker 1 (21:13):
There's a bill on Capitol Hill.

Speaker 2 (21:15):
Yes, I mean law of store.
Yes, schoolhouse Rock.
Right, I'm just a bill, sufficeit to say.
Congress is still workingthrough their budgeting process,
so I think there is stillreason to be hopeful that there
will be adequate funding in thenext year.
I just read something todaythat funding that was on hold is

(21:37):
not on hold anymore.
So I do think there is a pushto adequately fund cancer
research.

Speaker 1 (21:43):
And what is it like?
I guess adequately can be sucha subjective word Like.
Does that look like?
Oh, everything that's likemission critical is going to be
kept, Everything's going to beable to go current course and
speed of what it was before, orwhat's going to still be on the
chopping block.

Speaker 2 (21:56):
I mean our hope is that it's everything that has
current, every the same amountof funding that has historically
been funded.
Is that amount remains plussome more, plus, some more.
But we've also seen not onlythreats to cancer research but
threats to prevention funding,which I don't think people don't

(22:17):
necessarily think about as much.
Right, like we've got ourDepartment of Health runs what's
called the National Breast andCervical Cancer Screening
Program another mouthful of aprogram but essentially provides
cancer screening.
Mouthful of a program butessentially provides cancer
screening mammograms, pap smearsfor women who either aren't

(22:38):
insured or underinsured.
Like we've seen that moneythreatened at the federal level.
Our health department runs agreat tobacco control program so
people can get help not usingtobacco anymore, or ideally
never starting to use tobacco.
We've seen that funding kind oflag.
Most of it has in fact comeback.
So we're kind of looking at notonly research funding but
prevention funding.
So I think it's looking betterthan it was a month ago, but I

(23:03):
wouldn't throw a celebrationparty quite yet.

Speaker 1 (23:05):
Okay deal, we're trending right, but the
celebration isn't there yet.

Speaker 2 (23:09):
Yeah, I wouldn't plan the party yet.

Speaker 1 (23:10):
Deal.
And then, susan, I guess, likeprobably more applicable to you,
but as we've seen kind of thischange in tone from like the
government side, how has thatimpacted your role of like I
mean interacting with thecommunity and fundraising?
Do you feel like there's been acall to action that's been met
or does it kind of remain thesame tone from what's called
like the private side?

Speaker 3 (23:30):
Yeah, it's a good question.
I think I mean, and then Ithink I just have to say it
probably is obvious, but ACS CANis totally like a nonpartisan
organization.
So I just want to as likethings can be divisive, like I
feel like even like more andmore divisive when it comes to
politics.

(23:50):
Things can be divisive, I feellike even more and more divisive
when it comes to politics.
Brooke's job is to vieweverything through the lens of
oncology and what is best forcancer patients, and that is it.
So we don't care if it's red,blue, purple, rainbow colored.
If it is going to help cancerpatients, then that is what
we're advocating, Absolutely.

Speaker 2 (24:09):
Yeah, I frequently say like, like, my job doesn't
change based on who's sitting atthe state capitol, who's in the
White House.
Our mission at the end of theday, is to reduce suffering and
death from cancer.
Right, and that does not change.
The roadmap might change alittle bit, but the end goal is
absolutely always the same atthe end of the day.

(24:29):
And yeah, like Susan said, wework with the current
presidential administration.
The same way we worked with theprevious administration, the
same way we'll work with thenext administration.
The goal at the end of the daydoesn't change based on who's
sitting in the White House orwho is sitting in Congress or
who's sitting at the statelegislature.
Cancer should not be apolitical issue there.

(24:50):
We go.

Speaker 1 (24:51):
Agreed.

Speaker 3 (24:52):
Yeah, so to kind of get by sorry, I just wanted to
make sure sometimes that goodthing, to point out.
But, yeah, I think that, morethan just you know, kind of some
of those funding things or,like you know, the Medicaid,
like some of those like thingsthat are wrapped up in this,
like that coming down from thefederal level and that affect
the Medicaid, like some of thoselike things that are wrapped up

(25:13):
in this, like that coming downfrom the federal level and that
affect the state.
Some of the economic things,like if there's uncertainty,
like charitable giving goes down, we know that and a lot of like
whether that's individualgiving or whether that's.
I've seen it more withcorporate giving.
You know their budgets are injeopardy or they're in flux and
money is kind of held on alittle bit tighter.
So, yeah, it's definitely it'sbeen a more challenging year, I

(25:36):
would say, from a fundraisingperspective.
We still have some really greatpartners in this state.
We're always looking to addmore.
You know, we know that Utah isa, you know, very charitable
state just from a statisticalstandpoint.
But we are, we're seeing, Ithink, as we, you know, very
charitable state just from astatistical standpoint.
But we are, we're seeing, Ithink, as we, you know, my job
and what you know.

(25:56):
I'm so thankful for you forhaving us on.
I think people hear ACS or hearAmerican Cancer Society and
they're like yeah, but what arethey doing here?
What are they doing in my life?
How have they impacted me?
And I think you know, turningthat into how ACS kind of has
affected everyone, whether it'sfrom the reason that we don't

(26:16):
have smoking in airports and youuse SPF, hopefully.

Speaker 1 (26:20):
You should.

Speaker 3 (26:21):
Yes, you should Like things like that.

Speaker 1 (26:23):
Your day moisturizer has SPF, exactly yes, there we
go, great.

Speaker 3 (26:27):
Very important.
I tell my husband that BecauseI'm like not a day goes by that
I do not put a skin mask on myface.

Speaker 2 (26:32):
Fun fact Utah has the highest skin cancer incidence
rate in the country.
True.

Speaker 1 (26:36):
I've heard that before.
It's kind of wild, kind of wild.

Speaker 3 (26:38):
I guess our elevation , I mean we're like, yeah, there
it's been, and I think themakeup of our population
dilation, that's what I tellthem.

Speaker 1 (26:47):
I don't know if it's true, but I keep telling myself
that.

Speaker 2 (26:49):
And you've got a lot of like blonde hair, blue eyed,
pale skinned.

Speaker 1 (26:53):
Are they blonde hair blue eyed?
I guess blonde hair Blue eyedcan't fake as much as they could
, but the blonde hair?

Speaker 2 (26:59):
We have a paler population of that.

Speaker 1 (27:01):
Very Scandinavian yeah it's very Scandinavian.

Speaker 3 (27:06):
But also Utah is a winter JCrew catalog, no matter
how you slice it, yes, butreally wear sunscreen Very
important, yes, but the point ofthat is all like ACS is the we
were the people that found thislink between smoking and cancer.

Speaker 1 (27:24):
Oh, really Interesting.

Speaker 3 (27:25):
Yeah, that was us, like we did the study that
proved that and then, like Ithink it proves, like kind of
the cycle of acs is you knowthat research part, and then,
like you know finding that, andthen also like, well, what did
we do with that?
Past legislations make surethat people aren't getting
secondhand smoke, like all ofthat like is american cancer

(27:46):
society so from like this big,like kind of ether like we live
in, we live everywhere, but thenalso in a very specific way of
like yeah, we have a Hope Lodge.
We have like $6 million infunding just in the state of
Utah.
We have grants of you know, acsis a grant making body to
external entities too.
So like Huntsman, for example,like we fund millions of dollars

(28:09):
in research that wouldn't bepossible without ACS.
So, like you know, free ridesto and from treatment that we
offer.
Again, this, the Hope Lodgethat we have downtown, is one of
only 32 in the country.

Speaker 1 (28:21):
Yeah, Maybe talk about the Hope Lodge a little
bit.
I don't know.
I know it exists but I don'tknow.
I didn't even know it exists.

Speaker 3 (28:27):
I live literally less than a mile away and I have,
for the past six years, had noidea it was there.

Speaker 2 (28:32):
I have people be like oh, you have to run by, but I
like I don't know what it is.

Speaker 3 (28:35):
No, I don't know what it does.
Yeah, so I didn't know, it'sright, I didn't know what it did
, which, again, I think part ofthat is like we want our guests
there to have some anonymity andfeel comfortable because they
are going through cancertreatment.
So the Hope Lodge provides freelodging for people who are
actively going through cancertreatment.
That can be a clinical trial ora more traditional treatment,

(28:58):
but if they're traveling 40miles or more.
So this is to reduce thatburden of you know, like that
diagnosis, whether it's formedical bills alone.
But then we also know like,yeah, getting to and from
treatment, especially if you'regoing every day, like this, gets
incredibly difficult for people, especially if they don't live
in the city that they aregetting treated in.

(29:19):
So, like I said before, likepeople are coming to the Wasatch
Front to get treated andthey're driving, you know, from
different states or flying in soto ask them to pay for a hotel
room, you know, even a week of ahotel so expensive.

Speaker 2 (29:33):
Yeah, crazy expensive , I remember.
So the Hope Lodge iscelebrating 10 years this year,
which is super exciting.
I remember it was even beforewe opened.
Someone was inquiring about itand it was a guest from Wyoming
and they had nine weeks ofradiation.
I think they were from Evanston, but don't totally quote me on
that.
But, like I think everyone canimagine, I mean you can't drive

(29:55):
back and forth from Evanston,wyoming every day for nine weeks
Like that's exhausting.
Can you drive yourself?
Probably not.
After some point Gas is superexpensive.
So to have a free place to stayfor people that again are here
for the long term and to haveaccess to like other people

(30:16):
going through treatment andagain not have that financial
burden of a hotel, it's um, Ithink the guests are so grateful
and it's such a great likeconcrete service to be able,
yeah, to provide yeah, I meanespecially when you have someone
who's facing probably thehardest time of their life
absolutely, and like whereanything added on to this battle
is another right, like not justlike a pebble, but like an

(30:40):
older on top.

Speaker 1 (30:40):
Yeah, and then again like to your example being like
oh, I now either have to drivemyself and I don't even know if
I can right, I don't haveanybody or if I do have someone,
like the sacrifice it wouldtake for wanting to do that yeah
.
That's a lot.
And so just to have a resourcewhere it's like, hey, like we've
got you covered here, but thenalso just like having that
community around it, of of notsuffering alone, yeah, because

(31:02):
it's such like I always love,like very nuanced experiences
that people have that can bringpeople together, and like the
two in my life that come up themost, it's like an instant, like
okay, you did.
It is like divorce and faithcrisis.

Speaker 2 (31:16):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (31:17):
And so it's interesting, like if someone is
like oh it used to be Mormon,like I used to be like cool.
10 minutes later, right Homies.

Speaker 3 (31:23):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (31:23):
And so, in the same way, to like to have like, oh,
I'm going through the hardestthing, I'm have cancer.
And like, again, there's peoplethat will be there.
Like, oh my gosh, I'm so like,I'm here for you, I'm going to
fight for you, do whatever youneed.
You're like yeah, but like.
You're not in the club youdon't know what I'm talking
about and to have somebody likeyeah, I remember the first time
I had to like throw up aftertreatment, or I remember the

(31:47):
first time I couldn't.

Speaker 2 (31:48):
First I was like, oh, I don't know about that, but
they're all like shared kitchensand shared refrigerators, so
like you can't like have food inyour room, cook in your room,
prepare food in the room.
It's like forced socialinteraction and even if, like,
maybe the patient isn't up forthat like obviously the
caregiver you got to eat right.
So it's like you're kind offorced to get out of your room

(32:11):
and interact with people andjust have that social experience
.
And I think, even if you'relike I don't really want this, I
just kind of want to go isolate, like you kind of can't.
And I think it's so healthy forpeople Like caregiver, burnout
is real.

Speaker 1 (32:23):
Oh yeah.

Speaker 3 (32:32):
So just to have anyone else to talk to who's
been there, I think it's sovaluable and it's I know I
really cool yeah, facility, it'sa beautiful facility um.
But also, like you know, we've,like brooke said it's the
10-year anniversary, which is um, you know, like yeah, it's like
really amazing, yeah, uh, butlike, we've just launched this
new thing called empowerower,which is trying to treat the
whole person, not just thecancer patient, so there's space
that's available for yoga, forfinancial classes, even to be

(32:57):
like how are you getting throughthis financial burden of cancer
Things, of rock painting,anything that can bring people
together, whether it's atangible real thing like the,
like the financial stuff, orit's like, yeah, can you move
your body for 10 minutes andfeel a little bit better, or so,
like, all of those things arekind of happening there.

(33:17):
So it's, it's a, it's a placethat I think is, yeah, more than
just greater than the sum ofits parts, I guess.

Speaker 1 (33:27):
Because I know, like so ACS in general, like like I
know that we've talked about alot of things that ACS does,
everything from, I mean,government relations and
lobbying, research that it does,but then also kind of the more
tactical covering of costs andexperiences that these people
are going through.
I mean, is there anything elseyou want to add to make sure
that people understand of whatACS actually?
Because, like again, like wetalked about, is people hear ACS

(33:49):
, american Cancer Society, likeoh yeah, like nonprofit for
cancer, but sometimes it's likethere's this black box of like
okay, donate money, where doesit go?
So I mean, it's just like anyother color that you feel is
helpful to people know about ACSand where the money goes,
because I feel like those arelike the three main pillars that
I now, but I also know I wouldargue I know more than others.

(34:10):
So I just want to make sure youget what do you do after.

Speaker 2 (34:13):
At this point I mean I think it's really interesting.
I think people don't alwaysmake the connection between kind
of what happens in WashingtonDC or what happens you know up
the hill in our state capitaland what that has to do with
cancer.
And I think you think aboutthings like we can all walk into
a restaurant and no one'ssmoking.
I mean that was a public policydecision.
Like that is a law that passedthat you cannot smoke.

(34:34):
I am old enough to rememberwhen you could smoke on an
airplane, right, and like thelast five rows of an airplane
somebody could light a cigarette.
I mean that's absurd.
There's no smoking section ofan airplane.
But again, that is a law thatpassed that you can't do that
anymore.
Yeah, you know, you look ateven things more recently, like
the Affordable Care Act.
I mean that is the reason that,like so many more people have

(34:57):
health insurance.
I think people just don't makethe connection that, like what
happens you know thousands ofmiles in DC or even what happens
at our state capitol, actuallyhas a lot to do with cancer.
Like I told somebody probablyfive or six years ago this is
what I do and she was like no,like, what kind of issues do you
work on?
And she worked in the cancerspace and I kind of told her,

(35:20):
like you know, making surepeople can get their prevention
screening, get their mammograms,get their colonoscopies and,
you know, not have to pay hugesums of money for stuff like
that, or they can afford theirprescription drugs or have
access to the care that theyneed.
Or, again, like we know thatsmoking causes cancer, and now
we have laws that you knowideally prevent you from

(35:40):
inhaling secondhand smoke if youdon't want to.
But so I think people just kindof don't make that connection
sometimes that you know what ishappening with various levels of
government actually hassomething to do with cancer.

Speaker 1 (35:53):
And I think that's a mental trap that a lot of people
find themselves in is like well, if it doesn't impact me right
then why it doesn't matter, Idon't know about it when in
reality, like which is such,like a myopic and like lack of a
better term like narcissisticway of thinking about it yeah,
because that's how I've heardpeople talk about.
I mean I mean politics and umright uh, lawmaking and lobbying

(36:14):
in general.

Speaker 3 (36:14):
It's like privileged slash, ignorant way to like if
if it works, it affects the twowords I was going to go after.

Speaker 1 (36:20):
So, good job, no, it's no.
It's no, I mean aligned,because it's like, oh well, this
build an impact.
And it's like, oh, like yeah,no shit, like good for you, like
you're lucky that you don'thave to, you're lucky that you
don't have to worry about ifyou're going to have insurance
next week, next month, next year, you don't have to rely on, I

(36:43):
mean, food stamps or some sortof government subsidy and like
you see it go away.
Like well, it doesn't impact meor anybody else.

Speaker 2 (36:45):
I'm like, yeah, like Well, I think people can't like
it's hard to put yourself inthat position, right, if you are
, if you have private healthinsurance and you can pay for it
and it works for you Like youjust can't imagine being that
person who maybe doesn't haveinsurance, or paying an extra
five or $10 for something to getthat screening that you need or

(37:06):
something.
Like you just can't fathom that.
That truly is a decision thatpeople have to make.
Right, I'm either getting mycancer screening or I'm putting
food on the table, but I'vedefinitely seen politicians who
couldn't have cared less aboutcancer and then suddenly a
family member is diagnosed andit all of a sudden definitely
becomes real for them.

Speaker 1 (37:27):
And it's like the parallels that I see.
A lot is like.
I mean, homelessness and mentalhealth are two that people are
like.
Well, what do you mean?
Like why can't we just get ridof homeless people?
Why are they doing this?
And then, all of a sudden, theyhave someone experienced
homeless as, like my, bad.

Speaker 3 (37:42):
Like I get it no-transcript.

Speaker 1 (38:04):
This would literally be the thing that gives you the
only amount of hope that you canhave in the entire process.

Speaker 3 (38:10):
Yep, and there's a statistic that says ACS touches
55 million people a year, and soI think that's that thing too,
where people are like well, whatand how, and those are the
kinds of those things thatbroker talk is talking about.
But then also like again, likewhen talking to people of like,
what are we doing in your life,in your backyard?
Like you know, ACS is even aconvener of like from like a

(38:33):
patient support standpoint.
So whether that's like againlike gas cards, transportation
grants to allow people to beable to like go to and from
treatment, you know patientnavigators for when people get
diagnosed, ACS has a huge likescaffolding that we help support
in that hospital system, UIplus, like making sure that they

(38:57):
have health care providers,especially in the state of Utah,
that even know the language totalk to them about and let them
like have their screenings.
Acs is like convened healthcare providers to make sure that
that education is possible.
So, like just an array of thingsthat are happening beyond, like
behind the scenes.
We aren't the people that aregoing to treat you, we're not
going to treat your cancer, butwe are going to be the

(39:19):
scaffolding.
That's like it's easy to and wewe do.
We need oncologists and likeall of that stuff Like it is,
you know, not taking anythingaway from them, but we are the
support system behind the scenes.
So, you know, I think that thatstory of like again because
because my job is thatfundraising point too is to say

(39:40):
that, like you know, over 80% ofwhat goes to ACS is directly
impacting patients.
So, like people want to knowwhere their dollars go, which is
great, but like, yeah, I think,if you want to make a
difference in that space andoncology, like putting your
money into ACS is a really soundinvestment and I think we've

(40:00):
got 112 years to prove that.
So, yeah, we're going to do it,yeah, we are, we're so excited.

Speaker 2 (40:07):
We do.
We've worn our sunscreen.

Speaker 3 (40:10):
So we don't smoke and we've worn our sunscreen.
Exactly.
You're aging a lot.

Speaker 1 (40:15):
Listen, I will die on the hill of my skin, like every
time someone in their mid-20sis like do Listen, I will die on
the hill of my skin, like everytime someone in their mid-20s
is like.

Speaker 3 (40:21):
Do you have any?

Speaker 1 (40:21):
advice for me Like moisturize now.
Sunscreen now.
Yes, you don't want to look 40at 30, but it's nice when you
look 25 at 30.

Speaker 2 (40:26):
Yeah, prevention much easier than like reversing.

Speaker 1 (40:29):
Yeah, which Utah is also the top of that one yes,
fair Points.
But I mean there's other waysto raise money and support it
and especially fun ways comingup Dallas Look at that segue.
But for Cancers coming up nextFriday, I mean, give us a little
tidbit of what that looks like,what the point is and how to

(40:50):
get involved.

Speaker 3 (40:51):
Yeah, I'll give you the rundown of all the exciting
fun things and Brooke can tellyou what the point of it is, I
think more eloquently than I can.
It's going to be very fun though, but yeah, so this is a event
that is a playful, fun, excitingway to come out, have a good
time and not even know you're ina fundraiser.
So I think it attracts likeeveryone in the sense that, like

(41:13):
, if you are interested inmaking a difference with your
dollars and showing impact withlike where you put your money,
this is the event for you.
If you are one of those fewpeople who you know, doesn't
care, haven't been affected bycancer, but you like eating and
drinking and good music andbeing amongst your fellow like
you know Utah, then this wouldbe for you too.
So this is actually just a funevent.

(41:35):
It's our first year trying this.
We've got a variety of likefood and beverage partners to
come out.
Honestly, like I went to Pieand Beer Day the very first year
I got to Utah.
It was like my most favoriteday.
I was like this is amazing,Such a good day.

Speaker 2 (41:48):
It is, it's a lovely day.

Speaker 3 (41:50):
Oh my gosh breweries and pie and food vendors and
like.
This is that?
But unlimited right.
There are no tickets andcoupons.
Once you get into Fort Cancer,like the world is your oyster.
You can eat and drink as muchas you want from like really.
But you can't smoke inside youcannot, which again, yes, no,
but I really shouldn't smokeanywhere.
Exactly, I was testing you.

(42:11):
I see what you're going to comeup with there.
No, yeah, no, smoking shouldn'tsmoke.
But this is, I think the pointof this is.
Is this is I think the point ofthis is is this is an event
that you would never know as afundraiser.
You can come and bring yourfriends, come and bring your
work colleagues and just go outand have a great time.
It's a Friday night, it's atthe Gallivan Center, there's a
great band, yeah, great food andbeverage partners, comedians

(42:33):
Like it really just should be.
You know, a great event.
To come out and not know thatyou're actually making this huge
impact.

Speaker 2 (42:44):
I've kind of always said, like, give me a fun night
out, give me something I woulddo anyway, and throw in a good
cause or a good mission, likeinto the night a little bit, and
you've got me hooked and Ithink that's exactly what this
is right.
How many people wouldn't go outfor dinner and have a drink on
a Friday night and hang out withtheir friends?

(43:05):
And that's kind of exactly whatthis is.
But you also get to support agood cause along the way.
So I think it's going to bereally fun.
Susan and I both went to theevent in Denver last year and it
was so fun.
So I think it's going to begreat.
There will be a little you knowmission thrown in there.

(43:25):
We have a great mission speakerwho's actually a pediatric
cancer survivor and now works inthe cancer research space.
So he's going to talk just alittle bit about his story and
why he works in that space.
But the event really focuses onthe work that we do at ACS CAN
to advocate for cancer researchfunding.
So I think again, like Susansaid, you might not even know

(43:49):
you're at a fundraiser.
It's kind of what you wouldwant to do on a Friday or two,
but it's not three hours of aseated dinner where someone's
talking.
Those are wonderful events too.
Acs does a gala as well, so Idon't want to say anything bad
about those.
It's just a different tone,right it's?

Speaker 1 (44:05):
a little less stuffy yeah.

Speaker 3 (44:06):
Yes.

Speaker 1 (44:08):
Because I love.
So when I first heard about itI was like yeah, cool, I'm in,
I'm in.
But when I was doing a lot ofmy outreach, I mean the people I
reached out to initially waslike a lot of old podcast guests
and it was fun to be like Iwant to reach out to them.
April was like no, no, no, no.
Vfm's actually already doingfood.
Found her a pretty bird.
I was like oh let's reach out tothe Templins.
She's like no, no, no, no,kevin Templin's going to be

(44:28):
doing drinks.
I'm like all right, I didn'teven know there were boxes to
check to.
Good people good food, gooddrinks, good cause.

Speaker 2 (44:38):
What more do you need ?

Speaker 1 (44:39):
Yeah, like, please tell me, Like what else.

Speaker 3 (44:41):
Yeah, exactly, I mean , this event is based on
something that was started inNew Orleans called Chuck Cancer
and it's like an oyster eventand it's grown into this, like
they rent out the entire cityblock right next to the
Superdome.
I went there, I love oysters,so I was like in heaven.
But I think the point of thisis is like this model, this

(45:02):
should be a Utah.
This is like an event that wemade, curated specifically for
Salt Lake, you know, based onthis kind of idea of, like young
people, because it's geared,you know, right, it's not that
stuffy, right.

Speaker 2 (45:16):
We're to a younger crowd.

Speaker 3 (45:18):
Yeah, where people, people care.
We've seen that Like, we'veseen, like like millennials and
Gen Z, they they care where theyput their money, like they do
research, they like invest incompanies that believe Very
initiative, what they believe,yeah.
So I think, like having anevent that is driven by that and
saying yeah instead of and ifyou're going to go out anyway,

(45:43):
it's the cost of the dinner anda drink, and you know, literally
in a friday.
So come and do it.

Speaker 1 (45:46):
And I saw one of those people that whenever it's
like all right, like all you caneat, like come enjoy for a pass
, I'm like all right time tomake it worth it, like I'm the
guy, like I mean I've been.

Speaker 2 (45:56):
I feel like the last one was actually in wendover but
anyway, not like your elasticpants, like you're ready to go
who needs a belt.

Speaker 1 (46:01):
Come on, judgment free.
Oh yeah, every time I go towendover I'm like, ah shit, I
lost you hundred dollars.
Like well, we gotta make.
Gotta go to the buffet, gottago do something, so it's fair,
yeah, so come hang out with me.
Uh, susan brooke, the whole acsteam, plus I mean all the other
tastemakers, lots of greatpeople going.
A lot of great causes, a lot ofgreat I mean silent auction

(46:23):
gifts, a lot of great things,like there's a lot of incentives
.

Speaker 3 (46:26):
There are like two Delta tickets, domestic tickets,
where I don't know why I'msaying this, because I was like
I'm bidding on those, I wantthose.
Yeah, because I'm like yeah,anywhere in the big US, I don't
know.
I just feel like there's reallygood things in this house that
I am excited about bidding onthat.
I shouldn't tell other people.

Speaker 1 (46:43):
Yeah, there's a couple that I've been have my
hands in on providing and I'mlike I would want that.

Speaker 3 (46:50):
I haven't even seen the list yet.

Speaker 1 (46:52):
Check it twice.
There's some good ones.
Yeah, I'm ready Deal.

Speaker 2 (46:55):
I'm ready to go.
Well, support my own cause.

Speaker 1 (46:57):
Just APS wins everything.

Speaker 2 (46:59):
Right, take my money.

Speaker 1 (47:01):
The money spends the same people.

Speaker 2 (47:02):
It does, it does yeah .

Speaker 1 (47:06):
Tell us about tastemakers and their role and
what they do, and I mean whatyou tell me.

Speaker 3 (47:14):
Yeah, Well, I was just broughtemakers are people
who are nominated by their peersin the community as, like you
know, community leaders.
Basically, to kind of standwhat we thought would be able to
make an impact.

Speaker 2 (47:28):
Like a face to the event.
Is that a good way to put?

Speaker 3 (47:30):
it yeah, I mean, I think like Shout out sunscreen
with SPF.
Yeah, it's only sunscreen faceand BFS.
It's our yeah, a new test forus.
Yeah, there are people that arekind of leaders in the
community that we felt likewould resonate with this cause
and also be able to make animpact through gathering the

(47:51):
people that are in theircommunity.
And I mean, yeah, for better orfor worse, we know that money
really does make that difference.
So, yeah, raising money forthis.
And, again, I think thatsometimes people you bring up
money and people can have allsorts of different feelings, but
if we're being, if we're livingin reality, we know that is the
currency that matters, likeliterally the currency.

(48:13):
We just need to embrace thatand say like we need your help
in raising money for this, weneed your influence.
Yep, and friends Sorry, myvoice is doing something weird,
which is horrible A key moment,key moment.
Yeah, I think this is somethingthat is a really great thing to
see people like you stepping upand saying like, hey, I'm going

(48:34):
to use my influence and usethis platform for a good cause
and to make a difference.

Speaker 2 (48:39):
Well, I think it's fun because there's I guess I
can't say this about everytastemaker, but I was talking to
one yesterday and she currentlysits at the top of the
tastemaker leaderboard and she'slike I'm competitive, I am
determined to stay here, so youhave some competition, just so
you know.
But it's fun to see people likeof course they want to raise
money for a good cause, but theyalso want to win, so they kind

(49:01):
of combine that competitivespirit with a good cause is very
fun.

Speaker 1 (49:05):
Oh, I mean competitive nature for a good
cause.

Speaker 3 (49:09):
Who doesn't love it?

Speaker 1 (49:10):
Exactly, it's perfect and like one thing that's stuck
with me recently.
I mean not just for I mean forcancer, acs and a case maker in
general general but I mean oneof the things I believe in via
one of my people I used to.
I guess I still look up to hima lot like Arnold Schwarzenegger
.
He gave this speech at StanfordOnce Upon a Time.
There's like the five keys tosuccess for him and one of them

(49:30):
is give back, and we alwaysthink about giving back as like
oh, once I have money, I'm goingto make charitable donations or
I'm going to do these greatthings or build this wing on the
hospital or go have thisbuilding with my name on it on
campus.
But in reality there's so manydifferent ways to give back.
Like usually, if someonereaches out to me for
professional help, I can helpthem out.

(49:51):
I can sit down with them atlunch, grab coffee and chat with
them through it, and so I thinkthis is one of those examples,
like for me personally, whereit's like I can't go write a six
figure check to ACS to goimpact X amount of lives, but I
can help use my platform, myvoice and my network to help
create a better outcome,especially in the topic that has
impacted my life so much.

(50:12):
And so, in the same way, ifpeople are looking for a way to
give back, cause again, likecancer is a thing that no one's
pro cancer there's no more, butlike we need more cancer in the
world today, I'll go there.
But at the same way, we canmake these little micro

(50:33):
donations of our time, of ourmoney, whatever that might be,
to help give back a little bit,and if enough people do that,
then it does make a meaningfulsomething.

Speaker 3 (50:40):
Absolutely.
$70 is a night at Hope Lodge,if people want to know, like,
what that gives.
So like their ticket is like anight and a half for someone to
pay and I feel like, yeah, we, Imean I can't speak for everyone
, but that seems like a prettygood trade off for me.

Speaker 1 (50:57):
Yeah, but that seems like a pretty good trade off for
me.
Yeah, and whether it's $700 for10 days or it's $10 for part of
the stay, whatever that mightcontribute towards like that's
still something.

Speaker 2 (51:09):
Absolutely.
And I think, like I mean,tickets are $99.
Like you multiply that by, youknow, 100 people, 200 people,
300 people, however many peopleare at the event Like that's a
substantial amount of that is asix figure check.
So I think it's yeah, I think,like you said, you can kind of
get overwhelmed of like, oh, Ican't build my own building, but
it can go to one night to a funevent and be part of really

(51:35):
what is a larger donation?
At the end of the day, thatreally does make a difference.

Speaker 1 (51:39):
Yeah, so grab some friends, bring them along.
There'll be a link in the shownotes to buy tickets.
Make a donation, whatever youcan do.
Um, grateful for whatever thatis.
So if you have the means to doso, please donate.
Please come, hang out, come sayhi to brooke me.
Susan, everybody go harassariel just kidding, uh, um,
she'll probably be stressed outof her mind and see it from the

(51:59):
back.

Speaker 3 (52:00):
Cool.
Actually she's a pretty coolcustomer.

Speaker 1 (52:03):
Yeah, that's actually true.

Speaker 2 (52:05):
And she's very organized, so I think we just
thought it together.

Speaker 1 (52:08):
She's the person that we all need for so many things.
I'm the worst at organizing.
I'm the person who, every year,I'm like no, no, no, no.
This Memorial Day weekend I'mgoing out of town.
I'm doing something.

Speaker 2 (52:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (52:18):
And the next thing I know it's the week before
Memorial Day.

Speaker 3 (52:20):
I'm like, oh shit, you're like I got to get out of
here.
You're going to do an episode,yeah.

Speaker 1 (52:24):
I'm going to steal her from you.

Speaker 3 (52:25):
You should.

Speaker 2 (52:25):
I don't.
What are your thoughts on this?

Speaker 1 (52:29):
I can't pay you or say that we are someone else.
Thanks, oh man.
Well, Susan, this has beenamazing.
I'm excited to party next weekwith both of you.
If I have a little too muchfood and a little too much drink
, my bad I'll apologize ahead oftime.

Speaker 2 (52:46):
Judgment-free zone, my favorite zones, you know.

Speaker 1 (52:50):
I cannot be held accountable.
I'll always be held accountable.
I'm not that guy.

Speaker 2 (52:52):
You know, just take a ride, share home.

Speaker 1 (52:59):
You'll fine, exactly.
Yeah, that's the the big thingthat even if your car breaks
down in the morning, you have totake an uber to work, or if
you're at uh, I joke, becausesusan's car broke down this
morning she had to take an uberto work.
Yes, um but here she is but sheis, and she's still here and
yep thriving still beat me heresure, I am punctual, I try we
all, we all try.

Speaker 3 (53:14):
I mean, I'm a punctual person too, but
socially, amongst friends not somuch, but I'm like, if
professionally, yeah, I need toI want to honor everyone's time,
you know?
Yes, fair, yeah.
Anyway, we went way off, okay.

Speaker 1 (53:30):
But I mean before we depart, I want to end with the
two questions I ask everybody atthe end of each episode.
Number one if you both couldhave someone on the Small Lake
City podcast and hear more aboutwhat their story and what
they're up to, who would youwant to hear from?

Speaker 3 (53:43):
Oh, my gosh I actually have.
This is not going to be superpopular because it's kind of
niche, but I'll call her out.
So the last nonprofit I workedfor had something called Life
Start Village and it was aone-of-a-kind program that
didn't exist anywhere else inthe country but it was for
single parents and their kids.
But they were.
You had to be.

(54:03):
It was people who wereexperiencing homelessness and or
going through drug abuse and soyou had to be in treatment or
have a job.
But this was a three to sevenyear program Wow, incredibly
deep.
It was only 32 families, but atthe time we had like 90
something kids.
Most places don't want to dealwith kids.

Speaker 1 (54:25):
You know, there's just a lot of liabilities.

Speaker 3 (54:27):
Anyway, heidi Lund was someone who went through
this.
She was.
She came out of you know beingan addict and went through that
journey and then was the head ofthat program and she still
works.
It's my shout out deal.

Speaker 2 (54:41):
I love that I'm trying to think um, my head is
leaning towards like restaurantsbecause, like I've seen how
much salt lake's food scene hasimproved in the 20 years I've
been here.
I remember like when chainrestaurants would open and
people would throw like partiesand sleep out and I was like I

(55:02):
mean that's great.
I don't dislike, I love a goodchain restaurant Don't get me
wrong but I'm like I think wecan do better.
But I'm trying to think of,like I'll say this, one of my
favorite restaurants in SaltLake and I feel like people
don't talk about it enough.
So I would love to like knowmore about the people that like
own it and how they ended uphere and all of this stuff, and
shout out to Lone Star TaqueriaIf you've never been on Fort

(55:24):
Union and Cottonwood Heights, itis amazing.

Speaker 1 (55:27):
Classic Iconic.

Speaker 2 (55:28):
It's good right, oh yeah, but like does it get the
love it deserves?
I think it's more of a hiddengem, Right but if you aren't
from here, have you ever been toLone Star Taqueria?

Speaker 1 (55:39):
No, we're not going to judge you, but we might.

Speaker 2 (55:40):
No, there's no judgment.
I don't think so.
It's delightful.
Oh yeah, but I mean like veryrandom and niche, but like even
I don't know anything about,like how it came to be.
Right.

Speaker 3 (55:53):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (55:53):
I was reading something the other day of, like
you know what, the parkinglot's not that great, the
speaker for the drive-thru isn'tthat great.
But you know what you'll do.
You'll pull in that parking lotand you'll deal with the
drive-thru and you're gonnaorder your fish tacos.
I've never been, I just it'sdelightful.
Highly recommend it oh yeah, Idon't ski, but after a day of
skiing it's great, it's like,yeah, it's right in the spot yes
, um cool lone star taqueriaheidi lunn.

Speaker 3 (56:16):
Very good specific Good diverse options.

Speaker 2 (56:18):
Yeah, it was a very specific answer.
But yeah, I was trying to thinkof, like, what have I said in
the past week where I'm like Ihave questions about such?

Speaker 3 (56:28):
and such.
I wish whoever's in charge ofdriving to get someone on this
podcast that can help us withthe driving thing.
Yes, and then also a geologistwith earthquakes.
I want to know more about thislike liquefication zone that
I've heard in that.
Yeah, liquefication zoneTerrify us all.
Well, it sounds terrifying, itis, and I think it's real.
So you should get a geologiston here that would rock.

Speaker 1 (56:50):
I hate myself so much , god.
Oh, I've been on a dad jokespree and every time like it's
just like I've looked at myselfwith the mirror.

Speaker 2 (56:58):
It's like really I think it's okay, but you can't
stop yourself right no, you'rejust like I can't believe, I
said that, but yeah, there weare you just gotta own it until
and then.

Speaker 1 (57:07):
Lastly, if people want to find out more about acs
in general or I mean both utah,specific for cancer, what's the
best place to find information?

Speaker 3 (57:15):
okay, edit this dead silence out.
I know that our cancerorgwebsite is where people should
go for like are you experiencingcancer?
Do you have questions aboutcancer?
As far as Fort Cancer goes, youcan go to Fort Cancer Utah, but
I let me.
I need to.
We need to edit this.

Speaker 2 (57:34):
The actual website is utahhouseacscanfortcancerorg,
which is too much now.

Speaker 1 (57:41):
That's almost longer than Brookscom.

Speaker 2 (57:42):
I know it.
Really it doesn't roll off thetongue.

Speaker 3 (57:45):
Yeah, If you just go to Fort Cancer Utah, it comes
right up.
Just Google.
That's what I do every time.

Speaker 1 (57:50):
Scroll down to the notes, you'll see it.
Tap and open.

Speaker 2 (57:54):
Just Google Fort Cancer, utah, and it'll pop
right up for you.
Yeah, and that's what I do.

Speaker 1 (57:59):
I mean, I've yet to do it another way.
Yeah, that's why.

Speaker 3 (58:01):
What is this website?
It's long yeah.

Speaker 1 (58:07):
It's not super short.
We'll workshop it later, okayso, yeah, so if people want more
information, cancerorg, butthen also show notes for ACS,
buy some tickets, donate.
But Brooke, this has been great, thank you.
I've learned so much about youguys, both of you and just ACS
in general.
Great organization, keep doingwhat you're doing and back

(58:28):
people's lives better.

Speaker 2 (58:30):
Thanks, thanks for having us.

Speaker 1 (58:31):
Thank you.

Speaker 2 (58:32):
It's perfect.