Callanish Healing Retreats Society, Vancouver

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For Poughkeepsie resident Philip Mestman, treating his prostate cancer six years ago meant trying a promising new therapy in Indiana. So he and his wife of 50 years, Rima Mestman, boarded a plane. But instead of checking into a hotel, they found something better.

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They stayed at Hope Lodge, one of 28 "hotel-style" temporary living facilities across the country for people receiving cancer treatment away from home.

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Established by the American Cancer Society, Hope Lodge offers free private guest rooms with bathrooms and common areas, such as complete kitchens, laundry rooms, a lounge and library with cancer-related resources. They also offer a variety of wellness classes and support.
"We were just absolutely amazed. We were so pleased to find out that there was such a place," said Mestman, who along with his wife previously owned and operated Red Oaks Mill Pharmacy for 35 years. "We were so impressed."
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However, once they were back in New York, Mestman needed additional treatment - radiation five days a week for 10 weeks - at a facility in New York City. Unfortunately, the American Cancer Society did not offer a Hope Lodge in New York City and he and his wife made the exhausting trip back and forth in their car.
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"I would drive every morning and go through a half hour or 45 minutes of treatment, get in my car and drive back," Mestman said. "You turn on your mind ... and you just do it."
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Mestman's prostate cancer went into remission, but then something else happened. Last year he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of bone cancer. To make matters worse, they had just lost their daughter to brain cancer that same year in March.
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"That was probably the toughest thing that either of us had to go through," Rima Mestman said.
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A month later, the couple would have to head back down to Manhattan to fight Mestman's second battle with cancer. Only this time, a brand new Hope Lodge across from Penn Station awaited their arrival -complete with a private room, new library, computer resource room, a meditation room with a waterfall, a great room with a piano and fireplace and a demonstration kitchen for nutritional seminars and cooking classes. They had access to yoga, meditation and relaxation programs, touch therapy and massage and certified nutritionists specialized in oncology visited to share relevant advice and tips, such as how to shop for food and create quick and easy meals during cancer treatment.
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Top-notch accommodations
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"You could spend $300 for a room in a New York City hotel and it would not be as nice as this," Philip Mestman said. "God bless them. … You're overwhelmed with the goodness of what they've been able to create."
Making cancer patients who stay at Hope Lodge feel comfortable and cared for is also a big plus for the friends and family who stay there as well.
"When you're taking care of your spouse or your loved one, you don't need any more pressure," Rima Mestman said. "The only thing you have to do at Hope Lodge is make your own bed."
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Looking beyond the spa-like atmosphere and perks, Lindsay Edgar, manager of guest and volunteer programs at Hope Lodge in New York City, said what really comforts the guests is something many people with cancer can't get from friends and family members: absolute and instant understanding from another human being.
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"(Guests) might go into the kitchen and there are all these people who just got home from treatment … they got home from radiation … they got home from chemotherapy … they might have had a similar surgery or bone marrow transplant just like someone else, so they're going through very similar experiences," Edgar said. "It's this pure release of not having to explain what you're going through every time you meet a new person."
The Mestmans concur, saying that providing explanations or being mindful of how you look or behave isn't necessary.
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"Most people were willing to have a conversation and were very anxious to tell you what they were going through," Philip Mestman said. "But if you sat there and you didn't want to speak, or you wanted to be left alone it was respected because everybody knows it depends what mood you're in when you're sick," he said. "That is a lot different from being with someone who might not understand that you might have a lot of pain and you don't want to participate or you just want to go off by yourself."
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So far, 52 people from the Hudson Valley area have stayed at the eco-friendly Hope Lodge facility in New York City, which has provided a place to stay and respite for cancer patients from as far away as Mexico and Greece.
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Once our guests get here, the free lodging becomes secondary to the support you receive here," Edgar said, noting the housing program exists and survives completely on private donations. "When you donate $50, the guest is getting 10 times that value. You can really see where your money goes."Additional Facts
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DONATE HOPE LODGE
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To volunteer, make a donation or learn more about Hope Lodge, call 1-800-227-2345 or visit www.cancer.org/hopelodge/nyc

http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008812010308

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