Patient Uses Passion for Daylilies to Give Back to UC, Cancer Research

In the spring of 2013, Sandy Holmes, now 67, visited her primary care physician because she noticed a knot in her neck.  

"My doctor prescribed antibiotics to see if the knot went down … but it didn’t,” she says.

Holmes was referred to an ear, nose and throat specialist in Dayton who found that the knot was in fact cancer and that it was, as she says, "well on its way.”

"I was referred to Dr. (Yash) Patil at the UC Cancer Institute, where my treatment plan was put into place,” she says. "In July, he removed my tonsils to see if they had been the source of the cancer. In August, he performed a radical neck dissection to remove the cancer which had spread into the lymph nodes of my neck.” Patil is an associate professor in the Department of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at the UC College of Medicine and a member of the institute.   

At Patil’s recommendation in September, Holmes began six weeks of chemotherapy and radiotherapy to ensure that if there was any remaining cancer it would be eradicated. She said that through the whole process, Patil always made her feel that everything would be OK.

"From someone who had rarely been sick her whole life and hardly ever took an aspirin, the whole process was quite a change. Thankfully, my treatments worked, and now I can say I’m cancer-free. Everyone at the UC Cancer Institute was so wonderful, friendly and knowledgeable. 

"Even sometimes when traumatic things happen, you can pull through and have a good life—it was important for me not to dwell on the fact that I had cancer and to focus on enjoying every day that I have.”

Holmes and her husband, Mike, operate a daylily farm outside of Xenia, Ohio. They hybridize new daylilies and market them over the Internet. As a way to give back to UC for the care provided to Sandy, the Holmeses introduced two new daylilies and gave all the proceeds from the sales of those flowers to benefit head and neck cancer research at UC.  

The daylilies were named "The Good Fight" and "Raising Spirits for the Cure,” the latter referencing the Raising Spirits for the Cure event, benefiting the UC Cancer Institute and the Hank Roy Fund. At this year’s event, taking place from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, at the Kingsgate Marriott, a new daylily will be auctioned off, and the winning bidder can name it in honor of a loved one. The winner will receive all of the daylilies to give to family or friends, and the flowers will be registered in the American Hemerocallis database with that name. In 2016, the Holmeses will introduce a daylily that will have all proceeds from its sale go to UC for cancer research.

"These aren’t your typical daylilies,” Holmes says. "They are unique varieties which won't be seen in garden centers for six to 10 years. Within the daylily community, naming rights and one plant, sold to raise money for the daylily organization, normally goes for about $500, but they have gone for as high as $7,500.” 

After retiring, the Holmeses began hybridizing daylilies full time. Sandy says that the support of her family and friends was very important during her diagnosis and throughout treatment but that looking forward to seeing next year's new daylilies gave her something to anticipate.   

"While cancer changes your life, it doesn't have to be the end of life. It’s important to remember that the fight against cancer can be won. Get through it, and keep on living—life is what you make of it.”

Raising Spirits for the Cure Event:

This wine tasting event, being held from 6 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 25, at the Kingsgate Marriott Conference Center, supports the UC Cancer Institute and the Hank Roy Fund for research and awareness of head, neck and oral cancers. The cost of the event is $60.

For more information, contact Pamela Kinane at 513-558-9928 or kinanepa@uc.edu.

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