According to Jack Eck of the Vail Valley Medical Center, “cancer” is a term people often use glibly, but it's a disease more complicated and far-reaching than most realize.

“Cancer is a unique disease. Cancer doesn't respect boundaries,” he said. “Cancer's not an easy thing to describe.”

Eck should know. A longtime doctor in Vail, he has not only seen the disease in action with his patients, but experienced it himself a few years back. He has practiced in Vail since moving there after serving as a flight surgeon in Vietnam. A decade or so ago, Eck noticed a lack of cancer care in the area. So he led an effort to raise the funds necessary to create the Shaw Regional Cancer Center, built in 2001.

The center serves a six-county region, including Summit County. In 2005, an on-site home for patients and caregivers to live during their stay at Shaw was built, named after Eck: Jack's Place.

“I'm really passionate about the medical center,” Eck said. “I'm really excited to see this very complex institution we have today.”

The center itself may be small compared to those famous in other parts of the country, but Eck said Shaw has the ability to diagnose and treat patients just as the larger centers do, and in some cases, better. Like with the center's “tumor board,” which meets once a week. Every patient's case is evaluated by a panel of Shaw specialists — like oncologists, radiologists, genetics counselors — who come up with a shared treatment game plan.

“When a patient leaves that day ... they have a plan of action,” Eck said. “If you're in a big city you would have to have a separate appointment with every doctor, which could take six weeks.”

Diagnosis and treatment

Eck said one of the frustrating aspects of cancer is that since there are so many different varieties, not every cancer cell can be destroyed by the same agent. So the center has a few. Down one long and winding hallway sits one very large machine Eck said the center is quite proud of: the linear accelerator, which pinpoints exact areas of concern before delivering radiation.

“The precision is incredible,” he said. “We're capable of doing it all here.”

In another area are private, semi-private and then communal areas for chemotherapy, which overlook an outside landscape staff calls “the healing garden.” Down the hall are offices for social workers and counselors as well as a Pyxis station — a machine that makes sure all medicine dispensed is correct.

Down yet another hallway, there's a Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Technology scan, which combines two tests in one and can accurately search the body for cancer.

In a separate wing of Shaw, breast cancer is diagnosed and treated at the Sonnenalp Breast Imaging Center, which imaging coordinator Colleen Berga calls a “tiny but mighty breast center.” It has a digital mammography unit — Berga said they were one of the first to get one — a breast biopsy unit, and a SonoCine, an automated breast ultrasound system. Berga said Shaw is one of 15 centers in the country to have one.

Comfort during a hard time

Inside Shaw, patients are greeted by stone walls, flowing water, and paintings — all meant to make them feel as comfortable as possible. There's an exercise and wellness center, because “we all know that when people feel better, they do better,” Eck said. “We try to do a good job of covering all the patients' needs.”

Covering those patient needs is how Jack's Place came to be. Before its inception about seven years ago, a radiation oncologist was driving into work one cold morning when she noticed a patient from Hayden sleeping in his truck, awaiting the doors to open. She helped rally the community, and funds were raised for the building. Subcontractors even gave up wages and worked overtime to help.

Jack's can take care of 12 patients at a time, and cost is dependent on what one can give. Eck said they ask for $25 a night, but if someone can't afford it, it's OK. The average stay is seven to 10 days; sometimes patients stay longer, and some only stop by for the day to rest after a treatment. Patients have their own hotel-like bedroom and bathroom, and access to a communal kitchen.

“We have a view out here better than most hotels have,” Eck said. “We've had a lot of compliments from everybody.”

But there's more: People have access to a game room, library — which has more books than they can handle — a yoga room — classes are taught several mornings a week — a massage table — a masseuse who specializes in swelling reduction therapies is available — a sun room, and even a meditation room. The small space helps soothe anxiety and pain, Eck said.

“It's terrifying when you know you have (cancer), but you'd be surprised how the human spirit reacts,” he said.

Eck said everything at Jack's and Shaw is a result of a giving community. Everything — from the nice tile and dishes in Jack's kitchen, to the PET/CT scan machine at Shaw — wouldn't be there without a dedicated public, who just want to help. People contribute, Eck said, because they've been affected by cancer in some way — whether it's themselves, a family member, or a friend.

“Cancer touches everybody,” Eck said.

For more information, go to www.shawcancercenter.com.