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SALT LAKE CITY — A beautiful new building is about to open its doors in downtown Salt Lake City.
The Hope Lodge will house cancer patients and their loved ones who need a place to stay while undergoing treatment.
To give some idea of the demand for this kind of center, approximately 11,000 Utahns will be diagnosed with cancer by the end of the year, many needing to travel more than 50 miles for treatment in Salt Lake medical centers. An additional 4,500 people from Idaho, Montana, Nevada and Wyoming will also come to Utah's capital for treatment.
The name "Hope Lodge" creates a mental image of a place of peace and comfort, and that is the aim of the American Cancer Society's new facility.
Angela Dumke, chairwoman of the American Cancer Society of Utah said, "We wanted a beacon of hope. We wanted a place that shows what the American Cancer Society does, but more importantly, a place of healing for cancer patients but also for their caregivers."
The main living area has comfortable furniture, floor to ceiling windows and private sitting areas.
Pam Higginson, the Hope Lodge Campaign director, said, "It is a free stay for them to stay there. We do not require that there is any payment."
A huge cooking and eating area contains four kitchens. Each patient has his or her own refrigerator and freezer space.
"… They can buy their food and they can bring it in," Higginson said. "They can cook it and have what is palatable for them while they are staying with us."
As they eat, patients can enjoy the view and atmosphere of the Healing Garden. Everything there establishes atmosphere — the lighting, the artwork. The hallways lead to 40 suites on two levels.
"Every suite has two double beds," Higginson said. "One for the caregiver and one for the patient. A chair, if needed. And, of course, an adjacent bathroom and shower, all handicapped accessible."
There are laundry facilities on both floors because many cancer patients face three weeks of treatments at a time. There are sitting areas on each floor, beautifully decorated and comfortably furnished. They are meant to be a place where people can heal.
The Hope Lodge is located in the heart of Salt Lake City at 100 South and 400 East, very close to churches and houses of worship. The volunteers at the American Cancer Society realize that spirituality is often an important part of healing. They also know that sometimes cancer patients receive difficult news from their doctors. That is why there is a special room.
"This is called our reflection room," Higginson said while giving a tour, "where someone doesn't always get the positive diagnosis that they want and so, they have an opportunity to sit in quiet."
The second floor hallway opens onto a patio that overlooks 1st South. It serves as a link.
"Come out here and be, and hear the sounds of life and the world and it's beautiful. And be part of our city."
Establishing a Hope Lodge in Utah, the 32nd of its kind in the U.S., was a seven-year process. The $18 million facility came about as a community effort. State funds kicked off the capital campaign and the Eccles Foundation made a generous donation. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gave the 2.2 acres of land. Groundbreaking took place last year.
When you're going through the process, you really wonder how you'll make the next day. And yet, to have this place and have other people here really makes it possible to keep going on.
–Angela Dumke
The facility also includes the American Cancer Society's new offices and a community center. Other agencies or groups can use the boardrooms and larger meeting spaces for conferences.
"This space is enormous and we want to be that community center in Salt Lake City," Higginson said.
But those who work and volunteer here and those who helped envision the Hope Lodge, like Dumke, know firsthand this is about healing.
Through her tears, Dumke said, "When you're going through the process, you really wonder how you'll make the next day. And yet, to have this place and have other people here really makes it possible to keep going on."
The ribbon-cutting ceremony will take place the morning of Thursday, Sept. 17. Cancer patients will begin arriving the first of October.
To qualify, patients must live at least 50 miles away from the hospital or medical center where they are receiving treatment and have information from a doctor that they are receiving treatment. The suites have room for one family member to stay with the patient.
