Building hope

Hope Lodge brightens holidays for cancer patients
By Cindy Hadish Reprinted with permission (c)2007 The Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

ROCHESTER, Minn - Dec 24, 2006

During some of the darkest points in their lives, amid holidays spent away from home, cancer patients at the Mayo Clinic find a ray of light in Hope Lodge.

Laughter rings from the dining room of the brick building, situated at the foot of the immense hospital complex, where Bill Fay, a retired John Deere worker from Dubuque, cracked another joke.

Diagnosed with life-threatening conditions, patients from across the country make their way to the hospital in Rochester, for intensive treatment that can last several weeks.

We're going to fry the crispy critter," Fay, 68, said of his radiation treatment for prostate cancer, which recurred after a bout with cancer several years ago.

His brother, Bob, died of prostate cancer in 2001 and Fay wondered how things might have been different had he stayed at a Hope Lodge.

Not only do the centers provide free housing for adults undergoing cancer treatment but, just as importantly, they offer support for patients who find understanding, advice and inspiration from fellow cancer patients.

"He isolated himself," Fay said, turning serious as he recalled his brother's depression. "I wish he could've had something like this."

Iowans may get their first Hope Lodge in Iowa City next year. Organizers anticipate a spring groundbreaking.

Just like Mayo, the University of Iowa's Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center attracts patients who travel for treatment unavailable at home.

Holden is Iowa's only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center and the reason the American Cancer Society chose Iowa City for the state's first Hope Lodge.

Patients undergoing cancer treatment at Mercy Iowa City or Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center also could be referred by doctors to the new Hope Lodge.

Many Iowans use Rochester's Hope Lodge, the nearest of 22 nationwide. Patients and a caregiver stay in rooms with private bathrooms. Everything else is shared, intentionally, to encourage interaction. Comfy chairs surround big-screen TVs on each floor. Food is stored in refrigerators and cupboards in the kitchen, which abuts the dining room, a site of potluck dinners and entertainment.

"How was your treatment today?" a retired Wisconsin veterinarian battling cancer asked one of the younger residents as she readied lunch during a stay this month.

"Not so good today. It took longer than usual," Alex Hamann, 23, of St. Paul, Minn., said of her daily radiation. Her bald head covered by a stocking cap, Hamann described the rare synovial sarcoma in her leg that derailed plans after she graduated from culinary school.

Residents find sympathetic ears as they freely discuss their pain, fears and hopes.

"It's made a big difference," Hamann said of her stay at Hope Lodge. "My first week here, we stayed in a hotel. There was no support - no interaction. That was the hardest time for me."

Building the 30-room Iowa City Hope Lodge will cost $4 million. Another $4 million is being raised for an endowment to cover ongoing costs.

Marcia Holley, major gifts officer for the American Cancer Society's Cedar Rapids office, said $6 million is needed to break ground. About $5.1 million has been raised.

Fundraising for Hope Lodge comes at the same time as another area project, the Dennis and Donna Oldorf Hospice House of Mercy, scheduled for completion in the spring.

Both are needed in Eastern Iowa, Holley said, however, confusion between the two projects abounds.

The hospice house, where terminally ill patients can go for end-of-life care, is being built north of MercyCare Blairs Ferry in Hiawatha.

Iowa City's Hope Lodge, to be named for donors Russell and Ann Gerdin, will be constructed on property donated by the University of Iowa near Carver-Hawkeye Arena. It is predicted to house about 400 patients annually.

"The need is there now," said Dr. George Weiner, Holden's director. "Our expectation is that Hope Lodge will be full from the day it opens."

Back in Rochester, Bruce Adair, 61, of Decorah, a retired Iowa Department of Natural Resources biologist, described the surgery he had for brain cancer in October. He started chemotherapy and radiation in November and stayed at Hope Lodge through most of his treatment, commuting home weekends to see his wife when she couldn't be in Rochester.

"She's been very supportive," Adair said of his wife, his eyes filling with tears. His face later lights up as he recalled friendships made at Hope Lodge.

"Some days I don't feel like talking to anybody," he said. "But before long, you find someone you can sit down and chat with."

Red stockings hang above the fireplace at Rochester's Hope Lodge, where Christmas trees brighten corners of every community room.

"You couldn't be in a homier place than here," said Arlene Collins, 69, who has lived with Fay in Dubuque for 1-1/2 years and stayed at Hope Lodge as his caregiver.

Red Christmas baubles dangling from her ears, Collins reflected on past holidays spent baking cookies with grandchildren. Even as she helps Fay through difficult days, they hold out hope for more good years.

"Christmas has been special in the past," she said. "This year it's even more."