Kathy Miller Willahan may be 74 years old, but that doesn’t stop the Huntington Beach resident from hitting the pickleball court five days a week.
Surviving breast cancer in her 50s didn’t permanently deter her, nor did her 2017 diagnosis with stage 4 mantle cell lymphoma, a rare form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
“At that time, there was no cure for my type of blood cancer and few people survived the last five years,” she said.
Willahan said that in 2021-2022, her husband drove more than 10,000 km to take her back and forth to the City of Hope in Duarte.
Now there’s a closer solution in her own backyard.
Hope Orange County held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new location in Seacliff on Tuesday morning.
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Cancer survivor Kathy Miller Willahan speaks Tuesday at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the town of Hope Seacliff in Huntington Beach.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
The 17,000-square-foot comprehensive outpatient center is located at the corner of Main Street and Yorktown Avenue, across from City Hall on one side and Seacliff Village Shopping Center on the other. It becomes the second largest City of Hope facility in Orange County.
The town of Hope Seacliff will begin accepting patients on Monday, said Annette Walker, mayor of Hope Orange County, adding that preparations have been in the works for about two years. The previous, smaller Huntington Beach location on Beach Boulevard will close and services will move to Seacliff.
“This is another continuation of our promise to be part of the Orange County community and be as close to people as possible,” Walker said.
City of Hope Seacliff includes 20 infusion stations with diverse third-floor coastal views, as well as 15 light and bright exam rooms with large monitors where patients can review tests with their specialists.
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The new City of Hope Seacliff location in Huntington Beach will feature the work of a local artist on Tuesday.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
There, doctors will offer expertise in gynecological oncology, urology, Mohs surgery for skin cancer, blood cancers and more. Walker said the unique artwork on the wall originally came from the Lennar Foundation Cancer Center in Irvine, but was chosen for the new center to fit the feel of Huntington Beach.
Speakers at Tuesday’s ceremony included oncologist Dr. Nishan Tchekmedyian, himself a Huntington Beach native and graduate of Edison High, and Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem Pat Burns.
Burns said he was diagnosed with cancer three years ago, was treated at City of Hope by Dr. Jeffrey Yoshida and had his prostate removed.
“I’m grateful for the care and I’m really grateful that now he’ll be in my yard for observation,” Burns said. “It’s not just a medical facility, it’s a lifesaver for our community, offering treatment and support to those who need it most.”
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Huntington Beach Mayor Specialist Tem Pat Burns (right) shakes hands with oncologist Nishan Tchekmedyian after making remarks during a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new City of Hope Seacliff in Huntington Beach on Tuesday.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
Guests heard music from the swing band of Johnny Kleker (86), a longtime resident of Huntington Beach and a patient of Tchekmedyian. Additionally, local artist Melissa Murphy, better known as Melissa Murals, painted surfboards on site.
One of Murphy’s surfboard paintings will be hung at the facility in honor of former City of Hope employee Todd Lindquist, who worked closely with the nonprofit’s facilities, design and construction teams at multiple City of Hope locations in Southern California .
Walker said Lindquist was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in November 2022 and died in January of this year.
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Muralist Melissa Murphy paints on surfboards during a ribbon cutting ceremony at the City of Hope Seacliff in Huntington Beach on Tuesday morning.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
“He was an inspiration to everyone who worked on this project,” Walker said. “Even though he lost the battle, we know Todd’s contributions will continue to mean something to the countless patients and their families who will walk through these doors.”
Before she finished speaking, Willahan told ceremony attendees that cancer “does not define” her. After years of fighting at City of Hope, she was told she was a candidate for CAR T-cell therapy, which was successful on her second try.
“My body had cancer. My brain, my heart and my soul were cancer-free,” Willahan said. “I did my best to live each day as best as I could, and that’s what I’m doing today thanks to City of Hope.”
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The latest technology in the infusion room at the new City of Hope Seacliff location in Huntington Beach on Tuesday.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)