Welcome to the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge Worcester

Celebrating 25 years of giving hope a home

When the American Cancer Society opened the doors of the Hope Lodge in Worcester in February of 1985, it was the first facility of its kind in Massachusetts and a beacon of hope for cancer patients who needed to travel great distances to receive treatment not available to them at home.

Over the past 25 years, Hope Lodge Worcester has provided an estimated 59,000 nights of lodging to cancer patients from around the nation and the world. In its first year, the Hope Lodge provided 291 days of lodging for 53 cancer patients and family members who traveled to Massachusetts for treatments not available at home. Since 2005, Hope Lodge Worcester has provided an estimated 13,500 free nights of lodging to cancer patients and their caregivers, saving the guests an estimated $1.2 million.

Our typical guest now spends eight to ten weeks at the Lodge, often after a long hospital stay," said Lodge manager Debra Aharonian. "A room at the Lodge may be their only option for completing their treatment."

"Guests at Hope Lodge bond so quickly because they're all going through a shared experience. It's a place where everyone understands each other and can support one another just by being there," said Dolores Courtmanche, a 22-year lung cancer survivor and longtime volunteer at Hope Lodge in Worcester.

Today the American Cancer Society, the official sponsor of birthdays, looks forward to celebrating the 25th birthday of the Hope Lodge in Worcester and planning for the future. Plans for a spring celebration to honor all those who helped create and sustain the Lodge are under way. For more information, please contact Mary Davis at 508.270.4690 or mary.davis@cancer.org.

Read our Hope Lodge Worcester Fact Sheet

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