News

This op-ed piece by Dr. Richard Branda's ran in the Nov. 14, 2007, Burlington Free Press

MY TURN: Opening the doors to hope in Burlington

By Richard F. Branda

Thanks to earlier detection and improved therapies, cancer isn't the death sentence it once often was. But for a growing number of families, the financial hardship of cancer is just as difficult as the physical and emotional challenges. In fact, today one in four families affected by cancer uses up all or most of their savings coping with the disease. And for cancer outpatients, access to the best treatment often means traveling far from home, family and friends. The last burden a cancer patient needs is the expense and discomfort of temporary housing during their treatment.

This is where the American Cancer Society's Hope Lodge comes in.

Thanks to the compassion and dedication of the greater Burlington community, today we will dedicate the new American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, Lois McClure-Bee Tabakin Building at 237 East Ave. Each year, this much-needed facility will provide free temporary lodging and other vital support services for nearly 2,000 cancer patients and caregivers who must travel far from home for treatment at Fletcher Allen Health Care -- one of the top comprehensive cancer centers in the country.

Today's ribbon-cutting would not have been possible without the efforts of scores, local volunteers, benefactors, and community leaders. For more than five years they captured the imagination and the generosity of individuals, businesses, and foundations throughout the region and beyond in order to raise the $4.8 million needed to construct and operate a New Hope Lodge in Burlington. Fletcher Allen Health Care generously provided the ideal site at the entrance to their campus. The new Lodge replaces the little house three doors down on East Avenue that has supported so many cancer patients free of charge since it was opened by the American Cancer Society in 1983. It no longer has the capacity to meet the needs of patients in the 21st century. 

It is particularly meaningful that this beautiful new home away from home for cancer patients and their families is named in honor of two lifelong Burlington friends whose own families have felt the devastation of cancer. Lois McClure is Hope Lodge's founding donor, and Bee Tabakin has been the heart and soul of the Committee to Build a New Hope Lodge. Together they helped mobilize the Burlington community to make today's opening possible with a simple yet powerful appeal: Let's create a nice place for cancer patients to stay. 

The 13,000-square-foot Hope Lodge is LEED certified, meaning it has met a nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. While the services of the lodge promote the health of its occupants, the building itself promotes human and environmental health through sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.

Hope Lodge will also nurture patients and caregivers with an outdoor meditation garden and space for yoga and massage, while supporting patients navigating their cancer journey through a resource-rich Quality of Life Center. The sixteen private suites include a bedroom, bath, and adjacent living room. The upper level features a large kitchen with several cooking stations for individual food preparation, and a dining room and large living room with entertainment and library areas where guests can meet and support one another.

Major strides in the development of new cancer treatments have been made in recent years. Now, thanks to the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge, Lois McClure- Bee Tabakin Building, more cancer patients and their families than ever before can focus on fighting the disease, instead of worrying about where they will live. Today we can truly open the doors to hope in Burlington.

Dr. Richard F. Branda is chairman of the Campaign for a New Hope Lodge, and serves as Chief Medical Officer of the American Cancer Society's New England Division. He is also professor of medicine at the University of Vermont and interim director for hematology-oncology at Fletcher Allen Health Care.