Throughout her cancer journey, Kirstin’s mindset shifted from the passive role of a cancer patient to becoming a partner in her own recovery.
Health and wellness have always been a priority for Sammamish resident Kirstin Greig. So, it came as a shock when the yoga instructor, nonsmoker and executive chef-owner of Heirloom Catering was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer in January 2023.
At one time, Kirstin’s specific type of cancer had a sobering prognosis of just 3 to 12 months. But thanks to recent advancements in cancer treatment, her exceptional oncology team and a positive mindset, Kirstin is still thriving three years post-diagnosis.
“EvergreenHealth is a culture of the best and the brightest, and the best and the brightest is going to attract the best and the brightest,” Kirstin said. “If I’m going to have cancer, this is where I need to be.”
Within days of her diagnosis, Kirstin started a once-daily chemotherapy medication. For 18 months, this regimen slowed her cancer progression. In July 2024 routine imaging revealed the tumor had grown and it was time for radiation. Kirstin was apprehensive, until she met radiation oncologist, Michael Hunter, MD, and learned more about the linear accelerator and all it could do.
“We‘ve become a surgeon with an x-ray beam without cutting a patient,” Dr. Hunter said.
The linear accelerator is used to perform a procedure called stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), which can deliver higher doses of radiation and allow higher cure rates in fewer sessions than past forms of radiation. The linear accelerator works by radiating with exceptional precision, destroying the malignant tumor but preserving the skin, tissues and organs that surround it.
In 2022, a group of donors gifted EvergreenHealth with an advanced linear accelerator and updated the existing machine. Today, EvergreenHealth has two linear accelerators with enhanced capabilities, giving radiation oncology patients like Kirstin access to top-of-the-line treatment and technology, close to home.
Bringing quality of life to cancer treatment
Kirstin recalled the first time she saw the linear accelerator—it looked like a “five-headed octopus-monster,” she said. Quieter than an MRI, less invasive than surgery and with fewer side effects than traditional radiation, Kirstin’s encounters with the linear accelerator were mostly uneventful—but the outcomes were remarkable.
After five sessions, the tumor in Kirstin’s left lung that led to her initial diagnosis was obliterated and has not returned. When imaging later revealed the cancer spread to her brain, Kirstin revisited the linear accelerator for another round of radiation. All signs point to success there, too, but her battle against cancer continues.
Demonstrating the strength of the EvergreenHealth and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center partnership, Kirstin joined a clinical trial for precision therapy that targets the genetic mutation on her specific type of cancer. She is among just 60 people in the world enrolled in the trial.
Throughout her cancer journey, Kirstin’s mindset shifted from the passive role of a cancer patient to becoming a partner in her own recovery. She adopted a rigorous daily wellness routine to fortify her mind and body in her battle against cancer, and she’s started to share her story.
“I feel like it really gave me my power back,” Kirstin said.
Want to hear more? Kirstin shared her story in a video that debuted at the 2026 Evergreen Gala.
Kirstin’s story was also featured in the spring 2026 edition of our Giving Matters newsletter.