Tiffany Huynh is described by her co-workers as a very hard working, ethical and compassionate nurse.  Unfortunately, in 2006 she was diagnosed with a rare form of thymic cancer.  it was found to be aggressive, so she underwent intensive radiation therapy and chemotherapy.  At the same time of her treatment, she also went through the separation from her husband.  She had 2 teenage boys to raise and financially support while she was going through cancer treatment.  Tiffany is dealing with and living with ongoing damage that the intensive therapy has done to her body.  The horrible effects of the radiation affected the elasticity in her lungs, increased her occurrences of lung infections and caused further problems such as needing two stents for stenotic cardiac blood vessels and eventually affecting her vision.  Tiffany's battle is ongoing, due to not having a thymus, she is extremely immunosuppressed and continues to get sick often.  She has recently returned to work but has accrued debt and has borrowed from family members just to get by.

 

Helen Topacio, Tiffany's co-worker stated "Tiffany is a nurse in a county clinic and serves all types of people, from the homeless, uninsured and undocumented to the wealthy travelers.  She treats everyone with care and respect.  She truly is one of a kind and is an inspiration to all because of her fighting spirit".