Extended Stay America and the American Cancer Society hosted a phenomenal cancer survivors weekend in New York
Every so often, I'll receive an invitation to attend an event or participate in a meeting regarding breast cancer advocacy. When I received an invitation to travel to New York for a cancer survivor's celebration event, I presumed that it was some type of board meeting where corporate folks wanted to pick the social media brains of a few cancer advocates. I agreed to go because I look at those meetings as an opportunity to ensure that all voices are considered in various campaigns. I always count it my privilege to be invited and to share my thoughts.
It wasn't until a few days before this weekend event that I realized that this cancer survivor's weekend was not about someone picking my brain... it was truly a celebration and an opportunity for me and other cancer survivors to receive a wonderful gift. I am still blown away.
The Keys Of Hope program is phenomenal. #KeysOfHope
The Keys Of Hope program is a collaborative effort between Extended Stay Hotels America and the American Cancer Society. Extended Stay Hotels offers free or reduced cost accommodations for cancer patients that have to travel for cancer treatment. In the few years that this program has been around, hundreds of thousands of cancer patients have been able to receive the best treatment possible without the extra financial pressure of paying for hotel accommodations in other cities or states.
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| A few of the ladies from the #KeysOfHope weekend. The Hope Lodge is fantastic. |
A few years ago when I was trying to figure out who would do my breast reconstruction surgery, I seriously contemplated going out of state for treatment. However, the costs of traveling to another region in the country and all that goes with it forced me to make a different choice. In hindsight, I am not unhappy with the choice that I made to have my surgery locally but I do wonder if I would have been MORE happy with a different procedure and a different oncology surgeon.
During my weekend in New York, I met and hung out with some of the best people this world has to offer. Many of the other survivors on the trip were patients that had utilized the Keys Of Hope program and had traveled to other states for their treatment. For a girl who typically remains entrenched in the breast cancer world, it was eye-opening to talk to survivors of different types of cancer. Some of the diagnoses were incredibly complicated -- one person had THREE different types of cancer in his body and there was only one doctor who was experienced in treating all three. Talking with them reiterated to me just how important a program like this is.
Can you imagine only having one doctor, or one facility that has the equipment that you need to be treated? How many of us are so wealthy that we can afford to travel anywhere outside of our normal surroundings for weeks or months on end?
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| All of the participants of the weekend at the Hope Lodge |
I'm all about surviving cancer in the best ways possible.
My focus right now is about surviving cancer. I know that it is not everyone's reality that they will survive a cancer diagnosis. For many of us, it just is not possible. We don't have all the answers yet. But while you're fighting... having access to the best treatment, the best doctors, the best facilities... should be the goal. Cancer is an expensive disease. Very expensive. A program like this can easily be the difference between someone selling their home or going into debt that they have no way to repay... and having one less thing to worry about. I cannot tell you how much I love this program.
Extended Stay Hotel and the Hope Lodge
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| The bedroom was cozy and those pillows were amazingly soft! |
We stayed at the Extended Stay Hotel in Secaucus, New Jersey. It was a great location for families. We were close to the city (New York) without being IN the city. It was close to the train station, and the airport. We were located in a shopping plaza that had other hotels, a few nice (but reasonable) restaurants, some shopping, a nice movie theater and some other small shops. The room was small (reminded me of my first apartment in DC) but there was a small kitchenette, and a small sofa. You had room to breathe. Not a fancy hotel by any stretch of the imagination but it was clean, the people were really nice and helpful and it was a pleasant experience. I had free wi-fi (which is usually my first concern), a few cable stations and a comfy bed. If I wanted to go to the grocery store (that was nearby) and grab a few things I could do that and prepare meals/snacks in the kitchenette.
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| The kitchenette was adorable. And they have plates, cups, glasses, cookware and silverware. |
Our weekend was packed full of activities so I didn't get to explore the neighborhood around the hotel too much. I did get to see Jurassic World opening weekend though!
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| All of these goodies and a hand written note! I am a sucker for a note of any kind... |
The Hope Lodge in New York is a great facility for patients. They offer so much. There are computer rooms if you want to get online for awhile, a beautiful terrace with space to relax and get some sun on your face above the noise of the street and more. It was nothing like a clinical hospital and everything like a warm, comfortable place that can be your home away from home for awhile.
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| This is the donor tree for the Hope Lodge. Each leaf, branch or root has the name of a donor on it. |
My bucket list just crossed off two more items -- wait, THREE!
I made the quiet resolution this year that I would spend more time doing things that I always wanted to do. I don't exactly love the term "bucket list" but my "Go Get 'Em Nic" list doesn't have the same ring. However, thanks to this weekend, I got to cross off a few more things on my list.
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| Brandy, Chicago and Broadway! Check, check and check! |
- Dance on a stripper pole and earn money. Don't give me that look. Pole dancing has been a "thing" for a few years now. When I was younger, I would go to the strip clubs occasionally with friends and just check out the dancers. But working a pole (while sleazy in some people's minds) is a LOT of work. And sometimes I'm a bit shy. But, there was a stripper pole in the bus that drove us around all weekend. *shrug* I did twirl on the pole (nothing excessive) and I did receive ONE DOLLAR for my ...ahem... work.
- See a Broadway show. When I was a kid, my parents took me to the theater quite a bit. I've seen a lot of shows in DC when the touring company came to town but for some reason I haven't seen a Broadway show since I was a kid with my parents. But we were blessed with tickets to Chicago. Actually it's one of my favorite shows so I was extra excited.
- See Brandy perform! I am a really big fan of Brandy. Like HUGE! I think she's adorable and extremely talented. Seeing her play Roxie Hart was a real blessing.
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| I don't think I'll quit my day job... but I did have fun. |
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| Amy Robach, pink ribbon sister and news anchor on Good Morning America |
Last thoughts
I'm always thinking of ways that survivors can benefit and make their lives better after cancer. While I focus on breast cancer (because that was my experience), I'm sure that any cancer survivor can benefit. One thing that I came away with after this weekend was that celebrating your survival - whether you're NED or not - is just critically important to your sense of well-being. We all may not be able to afford a fancy weekend in the Big Apple, but we can do something to celebrate ourselves and the joy of being alive. My father says to me all the time... "one thing about this world is that none of us will get out of here alive..." Its corny but he's right. None of us will leave here alive. LOL... so, this is an encouragement for all of us to be sure to take some time -a week or a weekend - and just celebrate being alive. It is a precious gift. Don't take one moment of it for granted.
Below is a video of our weekend. Yes, that chunky girl with the cute, fuzzy fro is ME! I cannot say thank you enough to everyone that made this weekend possible.
For more information or to make a reservation for the Keys of Hope program, check out: "Keys of Hope, Extended Stay America and the American Cancer Society"
To see some of the tweets we shared during our weekend, check out the twitter hashtag, #KeysOfHope https://twitter.com/hashtag/keysofhope
Also, please see: MyFabBoobies: Extended Stay America offers a great program
That's all for now...
I'll drop a few more pics below from the weekend...
~Nic
