On August 4, 2003 a very special blessing ceremony and open house was held to introduce the Rabbitt Den Cancer center treatment waiting suite to the Providence Alaska Medical Center and the community.
The Rabbitt Den is a quiet, comfortable suite for cancer outpatients who need a place to rest between appointments at the Medical Center. The room includes two private bedrooms for patients and comfortable seating for family members. A television, microwave, telephone, refrigerator stocked with nutritional beverages and reading materials will be available for guests. Each bedroom will also have oxygen available.
 The Rabbitt Den is in memory of Terry “Rabbitt” Carter, a husband, father and longtime Alyeska Pipeline Service Company employee and heavy-equipment operator. Rabbitt “added an element of fun in the serious oil business, using his hare-like 'handle' to create Safety Rabbitt. He was known for his easy humor, community spirit and steadfast devotion to his friends.” After undergoing outpatient cancer therapy at Providence Alaska Medical Center, Rabbitt died of lung cancer in June of 2000 at age 50.
During his treatment at Providence, Rabbitt had long periods of time between outpatient appointments. Rabbitt and his wife, Carol McCarty, realized that there were many other cancer patients who spent hours in uncomfortable chairs in the lobby or cafeteria between appointments. They came up with the concept of the “Rabbitt Den.”
Shortly after the memorial service for Terry Carter, Carol visited the Providence Alaska Foundation to establish a memorial fund for the creation of the “Rabbitt Den.”
While donations to the Rabbitt Den fund have been received from many communities throughout Alaska, the vast majority of the funding to make this project possible has come from Terry Carter’s former co-workers in Valdez and the United Way of Valdez. The Providence Alaska Foundation would like to thank Carol McCarty and her family for all of the thought and dedication that they have put into this project. In addition, family friend Michelle Young has been instrumental in creation of the Rabbitt Habit and in coordinating the campaign with United Way of Valdez. We also extend our sincere gratitude to the dozens of individual donors who have given to the fund, to Alyeska Pipeline Service Company for their matching funds and corporate donation and for the United Way of Valdez board of directors for their incredibly generous support of this project.
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