At Sanford Health Fargo, we strive to bring advanced health care closer to home for the patients we serve across the region. Over the past few years, this effort has defined the Sanford Roger Maris Cancer Center, where several new, innovative offerings have been implemented. 

In 2021, we launched the first and only blood and bone marrow transplant program in the Upper Midwest, introducing it in three initial phases to treat blood cancers and disorders. The first phase, autologous transplants, went live in October 2021 and uses a patient’s own stem cells to treat cancer. The second phase, allogeneic transplants, rolled out in December 2022 and uses donor stem cells for treatment instead of the patient’s own. The third phase, CAR T therapy, went live in May 2023 and involves genetically modifying a patient’s own cells to recognize and fight their type of cancer when reinfused. Last year, we expanded the program with our first cellular therapy for solid tumors – tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy, which removes immune cells from a patient’s tumor, grows them in the lab and returns them to the body to help fight cancer. Together, these transplants and therapies have impacted more than 170 patients, reducing the long journeys they would otherwise have had to make to the Twin Cities or Rochester. 

As a result of these innovative services and many others, the Roger Maris Cancer Center has become a regional hub for care, welcoming 600 patients through our doors each day – nearly half of whom travel 60 miles or more. For our blood and bone marrow transplant patients, who need to remain close to the cancer center for 30 to 100 days after treatment for outpatient care and monitoring, having reliable lodging is essential to their health and recovery. To meet this critical need, we were inspired to introduce our own patient lodging solution, the Peltier Lodge. 

Located across the street from the Roger Maris Cancer Center, the Peltier Lodge will serve as a home away from home for patients and caregivers during extended cancer treatments. The lodge is fully funded through philanthropic support, including a generous lead gift from our project’s namesake, the late Norma Peltier. Construction is set to begin this spring, with plans to open in 2027.  

We are excited to celebrate this project and our innovations with the community during our fifth annual Roger Maris All-Star Week, June 15-19. The week includes free youth sports clinics, a 9-hole golf scramble, an 18-hole golf tournament and the Roger Maris Gala. 

To learn more and get involved, visit SanfordHealth.org/Roger-Maris-Week. 

Through every innovation, every treatment, and soon, every stay at the Peltier Lodge, I’m so proud of how we’re redefining what’s possible for patients and families across the region. 

Tiffany Lawrence, president and CEO, Sanford Health Fargo