| Salt Lake City |
 |
 |
| GER |
12 |
16 |
7 |
35 |
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| USA |
10 |
13 |
11 |
34 |
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| NOR |
11 |
7 |
6 |
24 |
|
| CAN |
6 |
3 |
8 |
17 |
|
| RUS |
6 |
6 |
4 |
16 |
|
| AUT |
2 |
4 |
10 |
16 |
|
| ITA |
4 |
4 |
4 |
12 |
|
| FRA |
4 |
5 |
2 |
11 |
|
| SUI |
3 |
2 |
6 |
11 |
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| NED |
3 |
5 |
0 |
8 |
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Cancer patients get gift: tickets
By Lucinda Dillon Kinkead
Deseret News staff writer
If she hadn't had so many things on her plate, Carrie Falslev would have paid more attention to Olympic events coming to her home state.
The Smithfield woman says she might have bought some tickets or planned some time in downtown Salt Lake City.
As it was, though, the weeks leading up to the 2002 Winter Games were filled with weightier matters.
Falslev, 26, has a brain tumor. The right frontal lobe is a good spot to have a tumor, doctors tell her, but hers has been an aggressive growth — one doctors twice have removed. They hope they've got it under control now.
In addition, her husband, Curtis, a U.S. Army reservist, recently was called to active duty. He left two weeks ago for Camp Pendleton in California. Falslev isn't sure when she'll see him next.
So it wasn't that the Olympics were exactly passing her by — it's just that in Falslev's world, she can only take so much right now. So she decided buying Olympic tickets wasn't on her docket.
But tickets donated by Jon and Karen Huntsman to 100 cancer patients have sparked a bit of Olympic spirit for people whose days are filled with much more to worry about than who will win a gold medal.
The tickets came from the Huntsmans' $1 million personal donation to the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, designated to support the 2002 Paralympic Games. The Huntsmans also made Olympic tickets available to some who receive services from Salt Lake City's Cancer Wellness House.
"Mr. Huntsman recognizes how inspiring great athletic achievement can be," said Stephen M. Prescott, executive director of the Huntsman Cancer Institute. "Likewise, the spirit and attitude of our cancer patients inspire all of us at the Huntsman Cancer Institute."
Patients are attending a variety of events, including the bobsled, super-G, ice hockey, speedskating, figure skating, Nordic combined, cross country, ski jumping and biathlon. Doctors, nurses and social workers helped identify the patients who received tickets.
"It's been a treat for us to be able to pass on these tickets," said Falslev's doctor, Deborah Blumenthal. "It's been a wonderful feeling for us to be able to call patients with this unexpected good news."
With her husband of three years away in the armed forces, Falslev took her sister to the super-G at Snowbasin last weekend.
Falslev had her first surgery two years ago to remove the brain tumor. Doctors figured the tumor would grow back, which it did — an aggressive growth doctors then diagnosed as a Stage 3 tumor.
She had surgery again in November and just finished a course of radiation. Between now and the end of the year, she still must go through five more rounds of chemotherapy.
Stephanie Steed, of Bountiful, got tickets for the pairs figure skating event the first weekend of the Olympics. "It was wonderful," she said.
Steed, 37, hadn't planned to attend any Olympic events, either. "But it was so fun, that since then, I've really caught the Olympic fever for sure," she said. She got tickets to other events and has paid close attention to the sports and community Olympic happenings.
Steed has been battling breast cancer for four years. She initially underwent successful surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. But two and a half years ago, the cancer metastasized to her liver. "At that point I was told to get my affairs in order."
With more treatment under her belt, she feels good about her progress now. "I'm hanging in there," she said.
Still, the Olympics have been a nice respite from other worries. "With all the banners and tents up," Steed said, "it's just amazing what they've done to the city."
E-MAIL: lucy@desnews.com
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February 22, 2002
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