SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) - There are few people who represent Mission Hope Cancer Center than this year's Day of Hope Santa Maria ambassador Gilbert Rea.
Born in Santa Maria, the soon-to-be 72-year-old Rea grew up in Nipomo and now lives in Orcutt.
In 2010, Rae began what would turn out to be a long-running battle with cancer two years before the opening of Mission Hope Cancer Center in Santa Maria.
"I went into the hospital September 2010," said Rea. "I was having what I thought was heart problems. I was having trouble breathing chest pains, dizziness. I had told my wife and my daughter a few months before that I wasn't feeling quite right, that something was wrong, and they both kept telling me it was 'just your age' or getting older and I knew it wasn't that. The doctor came out after checking me out and he says, 'you may have leukemia.' He said, we'll know in about 20 minutes, so 20 minutes go by, and sure enough, he comes out and says, 'you have leukemia.'"
After staying in the hospital that night, Rea was introduced to Dignity Health oncologist Dr. April Kennedy, who has remained his physician ever since.
"It was one of the best things that could have happened to me," said Rea. "She is great. She had come to her office and we talked about what was going on and stuff."
Rea, who had spent more than 30 years working in the local oil business around Northern Santa Barbara County, soon began treatment under the care of Dr. Kennedy.
Two years later in 2012, Mission Hope Cancer Center opened its doors, bringing state-of-the-art comprehensive cancer care to Santa Maria, something new and much-needed to the Central Coast.
"Our mission here at Mission Hope Cancer Center is to serve the people of Santa Maria," said Dr. Kennedy. "We actually take care of people from Lompoc all the way up to King City. We have locations in Santa Maria and Arroyo Grande. Our mission is to make sure that patients have excellent care right here in town so they don't have to go to UCLA or some far off place. When they're not feeling well, they can get all their treatment right here. Top notch radiation oncology. Medical oncology. We have our infusion services and then supportive care, which you just simply don't see anywhere in local cancer centers. It makes it last less a lot less stressful for patients to be able to come to one location and to receive all the care that they need."
Since his original leukemia diagnosis in 2010, Rae has received gone through years of treatment, and later in 2024, he suffered another setback when he was diagnosed with stomach cancer.
"I had to have that stomach removed," said Rea. "I'll never forget that day, on Halloween day, they took my stomach out. Dr. Kennedy was going to try and give me a little more chemo. My numbers on my blood wouldn't level out. She took me off my, my leukemia medicine to try and get the blood levels to come down and they just they just wouldn't."
However, with a positive attitude and continued optimism, Rea continued his treatment and has shown encouraging and hopeful results.
"Since then, my leukemia is not showing up," said Rea. "But we know it's there. It's just in remission with no medication. Right now, I get a monthly infusion for an immune system. My body doesn't make an immune system anymore, but other than that, it's all in remission."
Over the many years since Mission Hope opened up, Rea has been a very familiar face in the cancer cancer.
Through his many treatments and various appointments, there have been few patients, perhaps no one else, that has spent more time and received as much treatment at Mission Hope than Rea.
"For a long time, I was here, it was like my second home," said Rea. "I was here so often that I knew every nurses name. They're wonderful. All of them. I was here a lot, a lot of times. I don't know that if Mission Hope wasn't here, that I'd be here 16 years later."
After 16 years of battling cancer, Rae is doing well and is active as he's ever been.
He continues to work, spending a few days each week at V. Lopez Jr. and Sons, a general engineering contractor in Santa Maria.
He also spends time with his family, which includes is wife of 53 years, plus two children, five grandchildren, one great grandchild and another great grandchild due next month.
For Day of Hope, he is serving as this year's Santa Maria ambassador, a position allows him to promote the upcoming fundraiser for Mission Hope Cancer Center.
"It is very important," said Rea. "I think the community feels the same way. I've seen people come up and give $100 bill for a newspaper and more than once. Everybody, I think everyone is touched with this cancer one way shape or another. Whether it be a family member, a friend or a friend of a friend. We need this place. We need Mission Hope and we need Day of Hope, so come out and give on the Day of Hope."
The Day of Hope was created in 2014 and specifically raises funds for patients at Mission Hope Cancer Center in Santa Maria and Arroyo Grande.
On Wednesday, Aug. 26, starting at 7 a.m., hundreds of volunteers will be located throughout the Santa Maria Valley and in South San Luis Obispo County at dozens street corners, intersections, parking lots, schools, churches and other highly visible locations.
Participating teams members will once again be selling special edition $1 Santa Maria Times newspapers.
Proceeds specifically helps the cancer center provide patients with a myriad of complimentary programs and services.
For more information about the 13th Annual Day of Hope, click here to visit the official webpage.
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