Stories

It’s hard to explain the feeling that one gets when they first hear the words: “You have cancer.” There’s the dizziness in your head, the nausea in your stomach and the emptiness in your soul.   All of a sudden you’ve got this incredible feeling of uncertainty and not knowing what’s wrong, or how it can be fixed.  Then there are the questions:   What’s going to happen to my life, and my family?  Do I have things in order?  How am I going to pay the bills? What’s going to happen to my work?  Will I have a job?

When I was diagnosed with cancer, I was overwhelmed by the outpouring from a vast support system that I never knew that I had.  I had many cards, messages and motivational notes sent to my attention, some from people who I never met, and those some I went to grade school with (40+ years ago).  My employers and employees were fantastic in their responses to my needs.  Although my lifestyle and finances were going to have to endure great changes, I was very fortunate that I was getting support from everywhere I turned.  And being a longtime volunteer for the American Cancer Society, I knew how valuable a support system would be in the successful recovery of a cancer patient.

What I wasn’t aware of was the function of the Society’s Hershey Hope Lodge and what services the facility offered. The Lodge not only relieved the stress of wondering how I was going to pay for lodging expenses for my family and I while I was being treated in Hershey, it eliminated said costs.  Equally important is the added value of being able to discuss your circumstances with those going through similar situations or those who are survivors.

The staff and volunteers who work at Hope Lodge comprise some of the most caring and conscientious people that I have ever met.  They maintain an incredibly positive attitude considering that they are placed in situations where people are at their most vulnerable.  They make themselves available to each and every guest, without being overbearing and imposing.  Life at Hope Lodge made our life through treatment and recovery extremely easy.  You often hear of cancer patients talk of “normalcy”.  Living at the Hope Lodge over those six months was about as normal as we could have bargained for, and I am very fortunate to have shared that experience with the staff, volunteers and fellow guests who helped me recover.