11/03/2026
Words from our Director, Kristin...
Some people change lives. Others change the world. Dr. James Suen has done both. ❤️
I had the incredible privilege of attending Dr. Suen's Lessons for Life from a Long Time of Learning lecture at UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. As I listened to his remarkable journey, I was overwhelmed with gratitude for this extraordinary man.
A world-renowned head and neck surgeon, Dr. Suen has treated presidents, celebrities, and patients from around the globe. Yet he treated everyone with the same compassion, dignity, and love.
Alongside Dr. Kent Westbrook and others, he helped establish the Cancer Institute and was instrumental in founding Home for Healing.
We've housed his patients from Nepal, Brazil, Israel, Bangladesh, Canada, and many other countries. He is the only physician who ever made house calls to our home. He came simply to check on his patients, comfort them, and make them feel safe. That's the kind of man he is.
But my gratitude is deeply personal.
Dr. Suen gave my father his life back.
After thyroid cancer surgery, my father could no longer swallow. Even MD Anderson couldn't help, and he was left with a permanent feeding tube.
At our 20th anniversary celebration, I asked Dr. Suen to look at my father. He simply said, "I think I can help your dad."
And he did. Through an extraordinary surgery, my father can now eat, swallow, and enjoy life again.
How do you ever thank someone enough for that?
One of Dr. Suen's guiding principles is "Treat others the way you would want to be treated." He has lived those words every day.
And now, heartbreakingly, the man who has spent his life fighting cancer for others is battling multiple cancers himself.
In his honor, Home for Healing is dedicating every guest room to Dr. Suen for the entire month of November.
Dr. Suen, thank you for your vision, your compassion, your mentorship, and the miracle you gave my family.
I can only hope to be half the person you are.
You have spent your life giving others hope. I hope you know how deeply you are loved and appreciated.
With forever gratitude,
Kristin Trulock
