"I saw it heal many patients, even if it was just for the day — a little relief from some physical pain or emotional pain," Hunt said.

One of her oncology patients urged her to go to California and try to make it as a performer.

"I said, 'I can't do that. I'd go there and fail and have to come back and beg for my nursing job and I'd be all humiliated,"' Hunt said. " And he said, 'Bonnie, I only have a few weeks to live. One of my biggest regrets is that I feared failure. So, I want you to promise me that, after I'm gone, you'll go to California and you'll fail many times.'

"We shook hands. And after he passed away, I gave my notice because I gave him my word. And I came out here, and I failed many times. I've learned from all of them and lived through all of them. And they've all made me better at what I do.

"That was a gift that man gave me — a real gift."

She knows that the odds are against any new TV show working, but she's enthusiastic nonetheless.

"I can tell you that I'll do my show from my heart. If it succeeds, that would be unbelievably wonderful," Hunt said. "And if it doesn't, it will still have been done from my heart, and that's a form of success."

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E-mail: pierce@desnews.com