Stories

Angela Olsen didn't expect her 31st birthday to be anything special, but this year, during her seven-week stay at Hope Lodge Worcester, it became one of the best birthdays she'd ever had.

Angela, a Paxton, MA, native, returned to her roots when she left her home in Raleigh, N.C. for Hope Lodge Worcester, where she stayed when being treated in Boston for a rare form of cancer.

In May 2007, she learned she had mesenchymal chondrosarcoma, or cancer of the cartilage. The diagnosis was a surprise, since she had no family history of cancer and no prior health problems. Except for a bump on the back of her head, which she couldn't remember sustaining, everything was fine. She went through her first pregnancy without any complications. Two years after the appearance of the mysterious bump, she became plagued with constant headaches.

Many doctors visits later, including a misdiagnosis of a sinus infection and a trip to a headache clinic, Angela finally had an MRI and received the news of her brain tumor. Doctors at a local hospital in North Carolina were able to remove 90 percent of the tumor, however 10 percent still remained that the doctors refused to touch because of its involvement with the artery in her brain. Finally, 3 months later, after the tumor had grown enough to completely cut off the blood flow through the artery, Dr. Allan Friedman, a neurosugeon at Duke University, agreed to remove the remainder of the tumor.

Following 4 months of chemotherapy at Duke and after conducting some research on her own, Angela traveled to Boston to receive a 7-week combination of photon and proton beam radiation treatment at Massachusetts General Hospital.

When not at the hospital, she was at Hope Lodge in Worceseter, 45 miles west of Boston. American Cancer Society Road to Recovery volunteers drove her to and from her treatments.

As it neared April 4, Angela's last day at the Lodge, she was both hopeful that her life would get back to normal, but sorry to leave the security of the place she had called home for six weeks.

Angela admitted she will miss the mostly worry-free lifestyle that Hope Lodge provides. "I love it here," she said. "I've felt so comfortable. They have everything figured out. I just had to bring clothes and toiletries."

During her stay, she grew close to the other patients, despite their diverse backgrounds and situations. "We are like a team, riding together into Boston for treatment and back again to Hope Lodge," Angela said. "It's not a big deal to wait for someone's treatment that's running late," she added.

Angela also noted the respect that guests have for the house and each other during the most difficult time in their lives. "It's a stressful time, but the Hope Lodge gives me a lot less to worry about," she said. "It's become my routine. I'll be sad to leave, but, without a doubt, I'll be back to visit."