Impact
Turning Grief into Healing: Featured by The Swedish Foundation
The Swedish Foundation recently featured the Blake Pottle Foundation, sharing the story behind its creation and the impact it continues to make. What began in the wake of an unimaginable loss has been transformed into something that supports and reaches others in a meaningful way.
Read the original article here:
Turning grief into healing: Blake Pottle Foundation
Carrying Blake’s spirit of kindness forward through care, community, and giving at Providence Swedish
When colorectal cancer arrived with its blunt, unwelcome certainty in 2020, Blake Pottle faced it with the same gentle resilience that defined him long before his diagnosis. He was the kind of person who found clarity on long hikes with his mischievous husky, someone whose calming presence and thoughtful conversations brought out the best in everyone around him. Even as he faced his greatest challenge, that steady warmth never wavered.
Even on the toughest days after his diagnosis, Blake looked for ways to make life easier for others. After he passed at just 39 years old in September of 2021, Blake’s instinct to lift people up became the foundation of a philanthropic mission now supporting Providence Swedish.
The Blake Pottle Foundation was born from his family’s desire to honor Blake not only by remembering him, but by continuing the generosity he lived by. This decision has created change for patients, caregivers, and families at Providence Swedish Issaquah and beyond.
“Working on the foundation was the way I could occupy my mind,” says Blake’s sister, Jacqueline Hanson. “It made me feel like I was doing something that not only helped others but kept his memory alive. When someone passes, the world just keeps moving. If you don’t do something to keep their story alive, you start to worry people will forget.”
A family’s decision that sparked impact
From the beginning, the Blake Pottle Foundation directed its support toward the place where Blake received treatment: Providence Swedish Cancer Institute in Issaquah.
“We truly had as great an experience as you can have during such a horrible time,” Jacqueline says. “The care at Providence Swedish was exceptional. Whenever I went with him for chemo, we never encountered anyone who wasn’t kind and empathetic. Every interaction felt human. When there’s so much unknown and chaos, it becomes incredibly important for other parts of your everyday life to be peaceful.”
It was a clear reflection of the Blake Pottle Foundation’s mission to make care better in the ways that matter most.
“Starting the foundation became a way to take our grief and turn it into something that helps people,” Jacqueline says.
The Blake Pottle Foundation’s first philanthropic investment made an immediate difference by funding a ceiling‑lift system that improves safety and comfort for patients who need assistance during treatment. This gift eased the physical strain on caregivers and offered families relief during some of their most stressful moments.
For Blake’s family, it addressed a challenge they had experienced firsthand.
“Because Blake’s cancer had spread to bone, and he was in so much pain, it was difficult for him to get into the bed,” says Bin Xie, M.D., Blake’s oncologist. “So, the new ceiling lift has been a tremendous help for patients. We appreciate this gift so much, and for what the foundation has done.”
In 2025, the Blake Pottle Foundation deepened its commitment with a $75,000 gift to support the KUBTEC GammaPRO at Providence Swedish Issaquah, a surgical tool that increases precision in breast and skin cancer procedures and enhances outcomes for patients receiving complex care.
The Blake Pottle Foundation also funds oncology massage therapy, offering comfort to patients navigating physically and emotionally demanding treatment. For Blake’s family, support for whole‑person care reflects a belief that guided Blake throughout his life: people deserve compassion at every step of their journey.
“Their generosity gives our surgeons access to advanced equipment and strengthens holistic care for patients,” says Christine Lee, M.D., FACS, medical director of the cancer program at Providence Swedish Issaquah. “We are deeply grateful.”
A community growing around Blake’s legacy
Each year, the Blake Pottle Foundation’s flagship fundraiser, Opt Outside to Fight Cancer, a 1K/5K race in North Bend, Washington, brings together a growing community of people inspired by Blake’s story. More than 260 participants joined in 2025, and more are expected on July 19, 2026, marking the fifth year of the event. The annual race brings together runners, families, and supporters to honor Blake’s legacy while raising funds that support cancer initiatives at Providence Swedish Cancer Institute and throughout the community. What started as a way to keep Blake’s name alive has become a gathering rooted in hope, connection, and meaningful impact.
“Seeing people show up year after year — it’s incredible,” Jacqueline says. “It reminds us that Blake is still making a difference.”
Steve Pottle, Blake’s father, has taken on a vital public role, speaking openly about colorectal cancer and the importance of early screening. His message is especially timely as March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. The need for awareness is urgent: in the United States, colorectal cancer diagnosed in adults under 55 has been rising by one to two percent each year since the mid‑1990s, according to the American Cancer Society.
Despite the emotional weight of sharing Blake’s story, Steve continues because he knows how much early detection matters. Blake was only 38 when he was diagnosed — an age when many people don’t yet imagine cancer can touch their lives.
“Some people are afraid of getting a colonoscopy,” he says. “But colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death. People need to understand how important screening is.”
Through their philanthropy, the Pottle family has transformed their grief into a lifeline for others, funding advanced technology, strengthening holistic care, and raising awareness that could save lives for years to come.
And with each investment, Blake’s values continue to touch patients and families who may never know his name but will feel the impact of his legacy.
“I think he would be proud of us,” Steve says softly. “I really do.”
Blake’s legacy continues through every patient who receives comfort, every caregiver supported, and every life changed by the foundation’s generosity. If you would like to honor stories like his, we invite you to stand with us in strengthening compassionate cancer care at Providence Swedish.
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