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Quite simply, I wouldn’t be able to live in Mammoth Lakes if Mammoth Hospital didn’t exist. The level of care, the quality of the staff, and the diagnostic equipment are top-tier. I’ve built relationships with hospital staff. This is a small town, and that makes the support even more personal.
-Laura Burton
“If you’d told me I’d still be here 14 years after moving to Mammoth, I might not have believed you,” says Laura Burton, a mom, grandmother, travel advisor and three-time brain cancer survivor. “I first joined this community when my husband, Bruce, accepted a job with Mammoth Mountain, thinking this would be a five-year chapter of our lives. It’s been so much more. And one of the main reasons we’re still here, still thriving, is because of the lifeline Mammoth Hospital provides.”
Laura’s 30s and 40s were consumed by cancer treatment. She was first diagnosed with a brain tumor when her children were in elementary school. After surgery, the tumor came back, and she opted for another operation as soon as possible. It resulted in her losing the hearing in her left ear and having to relearn how to walk.
Throughout her next decade, Laura also had a bout with breast cancer, along with both of her sisters. “When our father was dying of melanoma, I helped my sisters walk through his passing as well as their own cancer journeys,” she says. “I’ve had multiple surgeries, radiation, and chemotherapy. Through it all, what’s kept me going is the care of exceptional medical teams.”
Over the years, Laura has channeled her experiences into becoming a patient advocate and championing medicine in many forms, from volunteering for the National Brain Tumor Society to becoming a partner to the Mammoth Hospital Foundation.
“I help people understand what’s being said in those overwhelming diagnosis meetings. I break down medical jargon and I hope I offer a window into what life can look like after getting the news that you have cancer,” she says. “I’ve worked with brilliant medical teams and walked beside loved ones through their own battles.”
Laura and her husband Bruce support Mammoth Hospital because, she says, “Quite simply, I wouldn’t be able to live in Mammoth Lakes if Mammoth Hospital didn’t exist. The level of care, the quality of the staff, and the diagnostic equipment are top-tier. I’ve built relationships with hospital staff. This is a small town, and that makes the support even more personal.”
When the Mammoth Hospital Foundation reached out to Laura and Bruce about Mammoth Hospital’s North Wing expansion, the idea of sponsoring a room spoke to them. In the new wing, “Laura’s Room” will welcome patients with light, warmth and the highest quality of care.
“I want my room to stand as a symbol of resilience, healing, and the power of a community that shows up.”
