Jesse, my work out buddy and best friend, is a true cancer warrior. Not only did Jesse beat a brain tumor, but he has been vigilant in aiding his sister, Ramona, battle Melanoma. They left for a new cancer study down in San Antonio this morning and they won't be back until Saturday of next week. Luckily for Jesse and Ramona, they have family that will board them for the duration.Others are not so fortunate and besides having to deal with cancer they come up against room and board expenses that sometimes forces the families to be left behind and unable to be nearby to support their loved one. Imagine if you will having to leave your child in the hospital to endure the pain of chemo therapy and radiation alone, just because you no longer have the funds to stay in a hotel nearby.
That's where places like Hope House have become synonomous with safe havens for families dealing with the treatment of cancer. Ruth Ann Wilkinson set about on a mission to provide hope for cancer patients by establishing a fund.
This fund was meant to create a place where patients and their families could stay and live during their treatment plan/process. Ruth Ann, a cancer patient herself, died in 1996 and never saw her dream become a reality, but those left behind carried on and opened the Hope House on Febrary 16, 2006.
This fund was meant to create a place where patients and their families could stay and live during their treatment plan/process. Ruth Ann, a cancer patient herself, died in 1996 and never saw her dream become a reality, but those left behind carried on and opened the Hope House on Febrary 16, 2006.
We have our very own Hope House out here in West Texas. You can find the home on 2100 West Tennessee in Midland. This little spring of hope in the hostile environment of cancer needs all of our support to continue to provide lodging and medical expenses for cancer patients and their families. You can always donate on line at: http://www.hopehousetexas.org/.
It is our pleasure to announce that on March 13th a racquetball tournament to benefit Gifts of Hope, Inc. will be held at the Frank R. Barton Physical Fitness Center in Wink, TX. Entry fee for the tournament is $50 per person with registration deadline being March 3rd.
For tournament and registration information please contact: Jesse R. Moya at 432-527-3536 or 432-352-5322. For information regarding Gifts of Hope, Inc. please contact: Mary Collier, Patient Counselor, Hope House 432-687-1949 or 432-335-8275.
All monies paid for registration, concession items and tee shirt sales will be donated to Gifts of Hope, Inc.
1 comment:
I think it wonderful what the Hope Lodge does and stands for and I have and will continue to donate towards it. However, for a house (Gainesville, FL) that is catering to cancer patients receiving treatment and their families some of their guidelines (no matter how much they think there necessary) do not cater to sick patients or their families. Their guidelines that require no food in the rooms, and community the kitchen closing at 9pm, for those patients that are made sick by their treatment and can finally eat after the kitchen has close they are “Out of luck”. During a stay at the hope lodge with my mom yes we snuck food (since they would not budge on their policy) in the room because she was throwing up and when the throwing up subsides she needs to eat regardless of the hour. We left the next day and I placed the food in a Ziploc bag in a grocery store bag and placed it in the bottom of my suit case with my clothes and personal items on top of it securely zip up. That evening when arriving back to the lodge, there was a note on the sign in sheet for me to see the director. I immediately went to see her, and upon our discussion she told me that a maintenance man had been in our room and was working on a piece of furniture (credenza) and he noticed that we had food in our room. She then began to explain that this was against the Hope Lodge POLICY and ask me to remove it at once. I simply said I would. After arriving in the room the food was still in the bottom of my suit case under my rifled clothes zipped up. Ohh and the piece of furniture “the credenza” that the maintenance man was working on there wasn’t one even in the room. After questioning the director she simply said that he had to remove it since the knob was lose on it, however it wasn’t in there to begin with.
Also, only being allowed to eat in the kitchen, I don’t know about the rest of cancer patients or their families but I have never seen my Mom look and feel as bad as she did the past time. But, with their dress code you have to be completely dressed (no PJ or lounging clothes) for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Someday it takes hours for her to muster up enough strength to get dress to go to treatment and now she must do it just to eat. I sure they want you down there so you can get the add benefit of the support groups and singing, but when you’re sick your sick and just want something to eat when you can and to be quiet.
Well needless to say, we left the day after the maintenance man incident and will not be back, instead we are learning to cut corners so we can stay at a local hotel so mom can eat and rest around her schedule not the Hope Lodges.
I do not want anyone to misunderstand what I am saying or doing-great organization I know it is a needed thing and I will continue to support it and donate to it, however it was and will never be somewhere we stay again. I do wonder if all Hope Lodges have the guideline or if it’s just in the one we stayed at? This is just a notice to other that stay be ready to conform and have your items searched
thanks for taking the time to read my comment.
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