Markey, Affiliates Join With Schools in 'Sharing Hope'

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Nov. 18, 2010) − Getting the appropriate cancer care sometimes means patients must travel away from home. This can place an even bigger emotional and financial burden on patients and caregivers during an already challenging time. To ease the stress and the financial challenge of receiving lifesaving treatment, the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in Lexington provides free, overnight private rooms for cancer patients and their caregivers. To provide this service, the Hope Lodge relies upon support from individuals, corporations and foundations. This year, the UK Markey Cancer Center and affiliated hospitals in the Markey Cancer Center Affiliate Network decided to work together on a campaign called "Sharing Hope" to support the ACS Hope Lodge in Lexington. Each of the hospitals partnered with local schools or others in the community  to collect much-needed supplies for patients —  everyday items such as cleaning supplies, paper towels, toilet paper, laundry detergent, soap, toothpaste, bottled water and non-perishable food items. "We wanted to do something concrete to help build awareness and support for the Hope Lodge in the communities it serves," said Dr. Kevin McDonagh, medical director of the affiliate network. "Patients from all over the region stay here when they need to come to Lexington for treatment. The Hope Lodge is a wonderful benefit for those patients and their families, and their communities need to know about it." The response to the call for donations was overwhelming. Thousands of items were donated by hospital employees, students and staff of partner schools, and community members. The collected items, which nearly filled up a lounge in the Hope Lodge, were presented at a special ceremony on Nov. 11. "We really appreciate everything Markey and its affiliates have done on behalf of the patients here," said Sheldon Kozee, director of the ACS Hope Lodge in Lexington. "The supplies they have collected will last months. We are grateful for this support, because we couldn't do what we do without it." Representatives of participating hospitals said there was strong support within their communities to repeat the campaign again next year. Rockcastle Regional Hospital and Respiratory Care Center, in Mount Vernon, teamed up with leaders from Rockcastle County Middle School to collect donations. The campaign offered the community a way to help support local cancer patients in a meaningful way, said Arielle Reese, community relations director for Rockcastle Regional. "Our affiliation with the Markey Cancer Center Affiliate Network enables us to offer chemotherapy services to patients locally, but we still have patients who need to come to Lexington for other services they can't get close to home," she said "It's an hour's drive each way, so the Hope Lodge is a wonderful facility for those patients." Hazard ARH Cancer Center partnered with two schools, Perry County Central High School and A.B. Combs Elementary. Ashley Teague, patient navigator for Hazard ARH, personally delivered a 6-foot by 8-foot cargo trailer full of supplies, towed by an SUV that was also crammed full of donations. Teague said a teacher at Perry Central had given an assembly at A.B. Combs, where she talked about her own experience as a cancer patient staying at the Hope Lodge. "The kids at A.B. Combs collected more donations than anybody else," Teague said. "It just shows how giving people can be when they realize what the cause is, and how close to home it hits." Other participating hospitals were: Frankfort Regional Medical Center, Georgetown Community Hospital, Harrison Memorial Hospital in Cynthiana, and  St. Claire Regional Medical Center in Morehead. The Markey Cancer Center Affiliate Network is a group of hospitals that provide high-quality cancer services and programs in their communities with the support and guidance of the UK Markey Cancer Center. Its vision is for all Kentuckians to have access to excellent cancer care, offering advanced treatments and support services delivered with compassion and respect. Donations to the ACS Hope Lodge in Lexington may be made online at https://www.cancer.org/involved/donate/donateonlinenow/hl08lexky/index.