A fully recovered Bransby Whitton vacations with his wife, Jessica, son Zachary and daughter Samantha, at right.
Bransby Whitton knows well how important comfort and convenience can be for cancer patients undergoing treatment. That’s why the Newport Beach resident is enthusiastic about the new cancer center at UCI Health — Irvine, just a few miles from his home.
Whitton, 51, who is now in remission from non-Hodgkin lymphoma, will be visiting the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center in Irvine every few months for checkups and testing.
Convenience and care
“The whole vibe is very bright,” he says. “Their infusion center is comfortable and spacious with a great view.”
For patients who may need frequent infusions or radiation treatments, the much larger Irvine cancer center could mean shorter wait times, Whitton says. For coastal and south Orange County patients, it’s also closer than the flagship Chao Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCI Medical Center in Orange.
The center’s design emphasis on health and wellness will be beneficial, too, he says. “It puts you more at ease when you may not be feeling well. That really helps your overall mental state and supports a positive outlook.”
Finding the right care
Whitton discovered a lump in his abdomen in late 2021 on a holiday trip. In early 2022, a biopsy revealed it was an especially aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
A friend connected him with UCI Health and within a few days, renowned lymphoma expert Dr. Lauren Pinter-Brown started him on the first of six rounds of primary chemotherapy.
“I feel so fortunate to have found UCI Health and Dr. Pinter-Brown, who gave me world-class care.”
Comfort and convenience
Whitton was impressed by the speed and thoughtfulness with which the UCI Health team addressed his care.
“In situations like this, time is of the essence. I also really appreciated that most of my chemo treatments were done as an outpatient, which meant I could be home with my family rather than stuck in a hospital. This helped me stay optimistic and gave our family a sense of normalcy during this crisis.”
For patients like Whitton, the Irvine center will mean more time at home and less time sitting in waiting rooms and traffic — a prescription for a speedy recovery.
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