Hope Lodges Bring Relief In Cancer Fight
Nancy Littman was living in Phoenix when she was diagnosed with a rare cancer that had spread to her bones. She quickly found a specialist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, but during a visit in October she was unprepared when the doctor informed her that she needed to start chemotherapy the next day.
"I'm like, 'Wait! I don't live here yet,'" Mrs. Littman, 62, who was diagnosed with a form of uterine cancer called endometrial sarcoma, recalled. "I just came with an overnight bag."
Finding hotels, furnished rentals, and other housing options too expensive, Mrs. Littman moved into Hope Lodge, the new temporary housing facility for cancer patients that is run by the American Cancer Society. Situated on West 32nd Street, the facility officially opens today after several years in the making.
The 11-floor space features 60 patient rooms and suites, communal space, and kitchens that guests — including patients and their visitors — may use. Rooms resemble hotel accommodations, and the 77,000-square-foot space has wireless Internet service. Staying there is free for individuals traveling an hour or more for cancer treatment in New York City.
Nationwide, there are more than 20 Hope Lodges. The first was established in Charleston, S.C., in 1970 by a Holocaust survivor and cancer patient, Margot Freudenberg. The American Cancer Society plans to open three more Hope Lodges this year. It is in the middle of a $50 million capital campaign to pay for the new New York facility.
The Manhattan building is "green" — it uses energy-efficient lighting and is filled with non-carcinogenic furniture. "We wanted to have an environment that was as safe and clean as possible," Hope Lodge New York City's senior managing executive, Karen Radwin, said.
From a medical perspective, anxiety over housing can exacerbate a patient's illness.
"It's really overwhelming for patients," a bone marrow and leukemia specialist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, Dr. Ann Jakubowski, said. Dr. Jakubowski, who has referred patients to Hope Lodge, said that besides the cost factor, hotels may not be equipped to handle sick patients or want a stream of home-care aides entering and exiting their facilities.
Nationwide, Hope Lodge is not alone in providing temporary housing for out-of-town patients. Some hospitals, including Memorial Sloan-Kettering, offer hotel discounts. Other hospitals provide their own housing, such as Mount Sinai, which operates a 25-room Guest Residence situated on East 101st Street, where costs range from $175 to $240 a night. Nationwide, Ronald McDonald House Charities operates 271 Ronald McDonald Houses, temporary residences for children with cancer. The first was established in Philadelphia in 1974 by a Philadelphia Eagles player, Fred Hill. The Ronald McDonald House of New York, situated on East 73rd Street, is considered the largest Ronald McDonald House worldwide. It can accommodate 82 families and costs $35 a night.
Addressing the emotional and psychological needs of cancer patients is an increasingly important part of their care.
"When people are diagnosed with cancer, there is so much on their plate that they have to address" besides the disease, a senior vice president of Gilda's Club Worldwide, Joyce Bichler, said.
Established in 1995, Gilda's Club does not offer housing to patients, but it runs clubhouses where patients and their families can attend workshops, as well as social and networking events. There are 21 Gilda's Club clubhouses nationwide and in Canada, including three in New York City.
Mrs. Littman, who has lived at Hope Lodge since November, said yesterday she finds the camaraderie there inspiring. She plans to visit Phoenix for two weeks this month, and then expects to resume treatment in New York.
"I'm a fighter," she said. "It's not my time yet."
