Our History

A Vision of Hope

In 1989, Sarah Bush Lincoln first opened the doors of the Regional Cancer Center and welcomed people fighting the fight of their lives. We armed patients with the best cancer care that technology and advancements in medicine had to offer. Through the years, thousands of area residents have chosen to fight their cancers close to home, within the caring surrounds of the Regional Cancer Center.

Medical Oncologist Edward C. (Ned) Hoppin, MD, FACP, set the foundation for the gold standard of cancer care in our community. It was through his guidance and quest to help people that his name became synonymous with that exceptional care. Over the nearly 20 years that Dr. Hoppin served as medical director of the Regional Cancer Center, he had the honor of caring for the vast majority of people fighting cancer in our community. He passed the reins to Medical Oncologists Abdur Shakir, MD, and Kuppuswamy Jagarlamudi, MD, and Radiation Oncologist Seong Cho, MD. They, too, uphold an extremely exceptional standard of clinical and compassionate care.

While treatments have evolved over the years and more people are winning their personal battles with cancer, there is a significant increase in the number of cancer cases. In fact over a two-year period, there was nearly a 30 percent increase in medical oncology visits to the Regional Cancer Center. We anticipate another 40 percent growth in oncology visits by 2025.  

These are among the reasons why the Sarah Bush Lincoln Board of Directors chose to move forward with plans to build a new, freestanding Regional Cancer Center on the main campus of Sarah Bush Lincoln. And the Sarah Bush Lincoln Foundation Board raised $3.5 million in philanthropic funds to support construction of the $15.8 million Center through a capital campaign called “Building Hope.”

Much like in the 1980s, when area residents rallied around a capital campaign to build the first Regional Cancer Center, we once again looked to the community for support. The Foundation staff partnered with 25 area community members who served as our “Building Hope” Committee --  representatives who have long supported Sarah Bush Lincoln and understand the importance of providing excellence in cancer care.

Our oncologists and Regional Cancer Center staff continue to build upon the hope and healing that our patients have when they walk through the doors of the Regional Cancer Center. And in our new Center, our team provides them with the same level of care and compassion so that they feel safe and secure, knowing that we will battle their cancer right along beside them.