Cancer Survivor Helps Raise $13 Million for Hoag Hospital

Sandy Sewell was diagnosed with breast cancer 35 years ago, and today is the driving force behind $13 million in donations to Hoag Hospital's Family Cancer Institute.

Sewell was 42 when she was first diagnosed by a family doctor who administered a mammogram and told her she would have five to 10 years to live. Her breast was removed the next day. 

“When I had breast cancer, there was no cancer center here. There were no oncologists in Orange County,” Sewell, of Newport Beach, explained. “I was the first person in my neighborhood that had cancer that anyone knew even about… [Back then] people were afraid to talk [about cancer].”

Following radiation Sewell made a successful recovery and 10 years after her battle with cancer began, she and her husband donated $500,000 to Hoag’s Family Cancer Institute. Despite her generous donation, Sewell wanted to do more, so she created Circle 1000 -- an organization made up of close friends and family who aimed to raise $1,000 for the hospital every year.

Today the efforts of Circle 1000 have netted more than $13.5 million for the Hoag Family Cancer Institute which has been used to support oncology nursing education, nursing scholarships and to purchase state-of-the-art equipment used for 3D breast x-rays.

“It has been an unbelievable achievement,” Sewell said. “It’s gone so beyond and surpassed what I ever envisioned it to be.”

Deb McCune, vice-president of stewardship and development operations at Hoag Hospital, says Sewell's achievements have made a lasting impact on Hoag.

“Sandy has led the way,” McCune said. “I would say that she’s established a legacy for this group. She’s been doing it for 25 years which is a tribute to her dedication to Hoag and to cancer patients and their families.”