A full circle of compassion — and a legacy of earlier cancer detection

As a young father and medical resident, Chirag Patel, MD, was on a path familiar to many HonorHealth patients — concerned, uncertain and searching for answers.

His infant daughter, Nala, had been diagnosed with plagiocephaly, a condition that causes a baby’s head to develop a flat or uneven shape. Nala required a cranial remodeling device to gently reshape her growing skull. The care she received made a lasting impression on her family, though Dr. Patel could not have known then how profoundly that moment would shape his future.

The device that helped Nala was developed by Cranial Technologies, founded by entrepreneur and inventor Jeanne Hertz. At the time, Jeanne was widely recognized for her innovative leadership in healthcare so much so that she — along with baby Nala — appeared on the cover of an Arizona magazine celebrating innovators and female business leaders. But to the Patels, she was simply someone helping their daughter thrive.

More than a dozen years later, Dr. Patel’s career — and Jeanne’s life — had come full circle.

Now a thoracic surgeon at HonorHealth Cancer Care, Dr. Patel met Jeanne again under very different circumstances. She was facing lung cancer and had been referred to him for care. For months, their connection was purely clinical — physician and patient working together through diagnosis and treatment.

It wasn’t until right before a Continuing Medical Education (CME) presentation, when Dr. Patel was reviewing Jeanne’s credentials in preparation for introducing her, that something stopped him short.

“I saw that her credentials said she was the founder of Cranial Technologies and I thought, ‘no way — this can’t be,’” Dr. Patel recalls.

He still had the magazine from years earlier. Dr. Patel took a photo of the cover and sent it to Jeanne with a simple question: Is this you?

Her reply was immediate. Yes.

“That’s my daughter sitting in your lap,” he told her.

In that moment, the connection was crystallized — not just between two people, but between past and purpose, care received and care now given.

A vision beyond one patient

As Jeanne and her husband, Frank, navigated her diagnosis, they began speaking with Dr. Patel about what could be done to help others avoid a similarly difficult journey.

“When Jeanne first learned that she had lung cancer, she knew she had been chosen for a reason,” Frank shares. “She didn’t know why she was chosen until we met with Dr. Patel and he explained his vision of early detection, care and proactive community endeavors to help people detect lung cancer.”

Earlier detection had become Dr. Patel’s passion. He saw, far too often, patients diagnosed when little time was left. But he also knew that many cases could be caught sooner if systems were in place to identify lung nodules quickly and act decisively.

“He explained his vision,” Frank says. “It was at that time that Jeanne realized why she was chosen. Because she had passion and financial means to assist Dr. Patel in fulfilling his mission.”

That shared vision sparked something extraordinary. Even as Jeanne faced her own illness, she chose to look outward to the patients who would come after her and to the community she loves.

Together, Jeanne and Frank made a $2 million philanthropic commitment to establish the Jeanne and Frank Hertz Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery Endowment at HonorHealth. The endowment supports the Lung Nodule Program — an initiative designed to accelerate diagnosis, expand patient navigation, increase screenings and improve outreach, particularly for underserved populations.

Their generosity has already inspired others to act. Close friends Jodi Pederson and Tim Beaudin have already made an investment in the endowment, amplifying its ability to save lives through earlier detection.

Turning purpose into impact

The impact of this philanthropic vision isn’t theoretical — it’s already changing outcomes.

Dr. Patel helped launch the Lung Nodule Program and brought physicians together from across the Valley to focus on what was possible when care moved faster and coordination improved.

“We hosted this CME event last November and about 100 physicians from across the community attended,” he says. “Collectively, we all want to shorten the amount of time it takes to treat lung cancer.”

The Lung Nodule Program ensures that when a lung nodule is discovered — whether in the emergency room, urgent care or a primary care office — it doesn’t get lost in the system. Dedicated navigators track patients, apply clear criteria and move quickly when action is needed.

Since launching, the program has already screened 1,700 patients, seen 500 in clinic, biopsied approximately 300 and diagnosed over 60 new lung cancers — all at Stage I, when treatment is most effective.

One patient’s story captures the difference this makes. A 34-year-old woman with no smoking history, no family history of lung cancer and no significant medical issues was referred after a small lung nodule was detected. Under standard practice, watchful waiting might have been the norm. Instead, HonorHealth pulmonologist, Arooj Kayani, MD, pursued a biopsy.

The diagnosis was Stage I adenocarcinoma. From initial scan to biopsy to surgery, her entire care journey took just two and a half weeks.

Time that changed everything.

A legacy that invites others in

“We all only have so much time,” Jeanne reflects. “It can happen to anyone. We have to find cancer earlier so the journey isn’t so difficult. That’s my hope.”

Through their extraordinary generosity, Jeanne and Frank have transformed that hope into a lasting legacy — one that ensures more patients are diagnosed earlier, treated faster and given more moments with the people they love.

The Jeanne and Frank Hertz Thoracic and Cardiac Surgery Endowment stands as a powerful example of what philanthropy can achieve when compassion meets purpose. It’s an invitation to friends, neighbors and fellow community members to invest in earlier detection, better outcomes and a future where fewer families hear the words “too late.”

Because sometimes, the most meaningful gifts come full circle.