Cancer patients find solace and a meal
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Rosemary Johnston knew she and her husband, Bill, were coming to Boston for Thanksgiving, but she did not count on a turkey dinner.
The couple from Hoosick Falls, N.Y., ate with kindred spirits yesterday at the newly opened
"I knew we were going to be here on Thanksgiving, but I didn't know we would have a Thanksgiving dinner - a turkey dinner!" said Rosemary, 68.
The American Cancer Society opened the lodge on Oct. 29 and soon welcomed its first guests. The facility is the 28th Hope Lodge in the country and is the third in New England, after Worcester and Burlington, Vt.
The lodge is near 50 percent capacity, said Bryan Harter, its director. Guests are being phased in, and the 40-suite building should be at capacity by mid-December, he said.
"They were knocking on the door before we were even opened," he said.
Harter said the lodge accommodates many who might not be able to afford a hotel for an extended period or struggle with the commute to Boston.
"So many people feel like they can't get treatment because they can't travel to get there," he said.
Another goal of the lodge is to create a community, he said. Its purpose is to give people a place to stay where they feel comfortable and are surrounded by people with similar circumstances.
"A community is a big part of Hope," said Harter.
Every patient at the lodge has a caregiver, usually a family member or friend.
A volunteer design team decorated the walls with earth tones, and the building has spacious sitting areas. The lodge offers sun rooms, a large communal kitchen where patients can cook their own food, and a screening room where patients can watch movies.
"We really wanted this to feel residential, not institutional," Harter said.
Clients appreciate the comfortable design.
"Environment means a lot as a patient," said Nancy Lee Wells, 49, of Amsterdam, N.Y.
Wells was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, in November 2004. She usually travels back to her home after her treatments, but now has to stay in the Boston area. Wells arrived at the lodge yesterday and said the opportunity to stay there is fabulous.
"I think being sick, anything that can help boost your confidence and how you feel is so important," she said.
Bill Johnston, 65, who is living with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, came to the lodge Wednesday. He said he enjoyed the idea of the lodge because he would be staying with people like him.
"We have an opportunity to share experiences," he said.
Patricia Bailey, 44, arrived Wednesday with her husband, Elton, 52, who suffers from AL amyloidosis. They came from Raleigh, N.C., for treatment at Boston Medical Center. She said that because of his illness, Elton had to leave his job, and she has become the primary financial provider in the family.
"We wouldn't have been able to get here if it wasn't for the Hope Lodge," she said.
As Thanksgiving approached, Harter said, he was unsure what they were going to do for the holiday, but because of interest from the patients, the lodge decided to have a home-cooked meal. Most people went home, but five families were there to celebrate. Harter's family came in the late afternoon and prepared dinner.
For the Johnstons, it was a surprising, but exciting idea.
Added Elton Bailey, "It makes me feel good that we have people that care for one another. I feel grateful."
