When you get a diagnosis of something as life changing as Cancer, your whole world is turned upside down. Your normal day-to-day routine of getting the kids off to school, heading to work, scheduling the dentist appointments, stopping by the grocery store, cooking dinner, doing the laundry, tucking the kids into bed, and doing it all again… that all changes.
Now you are heading to doctor’s appointments, getting lab draws, imaging, radiation, chemotherapy, and managing symptoms. Day after day, your new full-time job is your health. For patients who must travel or temporarily relocate for treatment, they have an additional difficult layer to their cancer journey.
I was 32 when I was told that I would need a bone marrow transplant to save my life. I was the mother of 2 children and married. I had dealt with health issues for the past 9 years of my life. Those issues, which mainly affected my brain, spine, lungs and blood, were ramping up and a decision was made by my team of doctors that I needed to replace my faulty immune system and I needed to do it as soon as possible.
I was required to temporarily relocate to Seattle, WA for 5 months of treatment. I moved into patient lodging near the medical center in Seattle, an apartment building that was specifically for bone marrow transplant patients, most of which had cancer. This patient housing was a home away from home, where I had a bedroom, kitchen, a space to lay on the couch and relax….a place to recharge and get ready for the next challenging day. A place to call my own. A place where my husband and children could come visit me and create some since of normalcy. A place to cook a Thanksgiving meal. A place to cuddle on the couch with my family. Having that stability during one of the most chaotic times in my life was invaluable! It eliminated one source of worry, allowing me to fully focus on myself and truly begin the journey to healing.
I have been serving on the Cancer Can’t board of directors for nearly 10 years now. I am incredibly proud of the work we have been able to accomplish in the Greater Spokane area in that time. Because of my story and my lived experience, our newest endeavor is something that is incredibly personal to me: A Lodging Facility in Spokane!
I have been able to weigh in on the design and needs of patients when they will stay in this facility. Currently our community does not offer a lodging facility like I had when I went to Seattle for treatment and being involved in changing that for our community is something I am very excited about. When you get a cancer diagnosis your world is flipped upside down. When you can have a stable home away from home, it is such a gift. A source of stability and comfort. A place to heal.
~Danielle Vaughan, Cancer Can’t Board Secretary, Transplant Survivor