Where There is Hope…

Hope Lodge St. Louis

Cancer has opened my eyes to so many things. Some good, some bad. Today was one of the good things! I toured the American Cancer Society’s Hope Lodge in St. Louis. I couldn’t believe I had never heard of it. I toured the facility with the assistant manager and found what a huge asset they are to the area. Hope Lodge provides housing for people undergoing cancer treatments that are not local. They have 40+ rooms available and there is no cost.

My tour began with a very large map in the entryway. The map noted the states where the patients have traveled from. Every state was marked, including Hawaii and Alaska! Brittney (the assistant manager) informed me that St. Louis has some of the best doctors and most technically advanced cancer equipment in the country. For some reason I was shocked by this. I would have thought New York or California or Texas. I definitely would never have guessed St. Louis. I was quite impressed and quite proud of our city.

Next stop on the tour was the kitchen. The kitchen is this large, bright area with people coming in and out. There are very large refrigerated areas and each room is assigned a shelf where the guests can store their food. The bedrooms were small but very functional. Each room had two twin beds. One for the patient and one for the caretaker they brought. (each patient must bring one caretaker with them). There is a desk, free wi-fi and each room has its own bathroom.

As we walked around I noticed all the common rooms. They were warm and welcoming with tables, chairs, books, magazines, etc. Brittney filled me in on how things work around there. The guests become family. If they are not too sick they make friends and support each other. Brittney said anytime a new patient comes, current guests are always on hand to welcome them and make them feel at home. They also have shuttles that will take the patients to their treatments. Again, no charge.

This is an amazing place and I am so glad I was able to visit. Having cancer is so frightening and having to travel away from your home for treatment is something I just can’t imagine. Hope Lodge is trying to minimize that fear and sense of being alone. The atmosphere felt so comfortable and non-threatening. They are also in the midst of adding another building to help even more cancer patients. Wonderful people doing wonderful things!

If you would want to help out there are many ways to help. Donations, meal cooking, cleaning. You should visit their website :https://www.cancer.org/content/cancer/en/treatment/support-programs-and-services/patient-lodging/hope-lodge/st-louis/about-our-facility.html

or facebook page : https://www.facebook.com/hopelodgestlouis/

Love and peace to all!

#hopelodgeamericancancersocietycancersucksihatecancerruthielanigan