Newly Completed Hope Lodge to Host Maui Cancer Patients

November 17, 2016, 4:00 PM HST
* Updated November 17, 4:03 PM

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The American Cancer Society today celebrates the completion of its Hope Lodge in Hawai‘i. Although it is located on the island of Oʻahu, the newly completed facility will provide lodging and amenities, free of charge, to cancer patients who travel from the neighbor islands and Guam to Honolulu for treatment.

“It’s a dream come true,” said Gene Redden, cancer survivor from Kaua‘i. “Nearly 11 years ago, I experienced first-hand the challenges of traveling to O‘ahu for treatment. I spent weeks in Honolulu for necessary chemo and radiation treatments to help save my life. It left me physically drained and exhausted, but the most difficult part was the burden of trying to find lodging while staying on O‘ahu. At times, the housing was beyond our means to handle alone. Now, our families or friends will no longer have to make the tough decision to forego life-saving treatments simply because of travel or lodging costs—and that is truly something to celebrate.”

This year, approximately 6,850 people throughout Hawai‘i were diagnosed with cancer and approximately 650 of them traveled from the neighbor islands to receive treatment in Honolulu.

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“Now, not only will these patients have a place to stay when they travel for treatment, but they will have the right kind of place to stay—a home-away-from-home that is committed to creating a healing and supportive environment for getting well,” according to the American Cancer Society.

“At today’s ceremony, it was an honor to recognize the many supporters who generously donated and worked tirelessly to bring this much needed resource to O‘ahu,” said Jim Schuler, Hope Lodge Campaign Cabinet co-chair. “The Hope Lodge was designed to provide both the patient and caregiver all the comforts of home. We wanted to provide patients a relaxed, calming environment where they could concentrate on healing and we wanted to offer caregivers a sense of community and support as they help their loved one’s battle cancer.”

Each of the 20 patient suites has a private bedroom with two twin beds, a private bathroom, television, dresser and wifi service. The facility is decorated with locally created artwork to offer guests a feel of home. Another key design of the Hope Lodge is the common living areas incorporated throughout the facility to encourage interaction and sharing of experiences. These spaces include:

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– A fully-equipped kitchen that allows guests to prepare food, along with an adjacent dining room for guests to eat together.
– A spacious living room on each floor so guests can gather and share experiences with other guests.
– The garden where guests can unwind in an outdoor space for meditation and reflection.
– A shared laundry room on each floor, contemplation room, library, and other amenities to ensure life for the patient and caregiver can continue on as normal as possible.

“One of the most important keys to surviving cancer is access to treatment,” said Gary Reedy, CEO of the American Cancer Society. “For some patients, a facility in another city or another island offers the best treatment option. The American Cancer Society Hope Lodge network works to alleviate the burden of lodging costs so patients can focus on what matters most – getting well. And now, thanks to the generous donors and supporters throughout this community, more people will have access to a treatment center on O‘ahu. We look forward to welcoming patients and their caregivers at the Hope Lodge in Hawai‘i.”

A maile lei ceremony was held in the garden of the Hope Lodge, surrounded by the Hope Lodge Hawai‘i campaign cabinet members, Hawai‘i Pacific American Cancer Society board members and American Cancer Society leadership staff.

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In addition to unveiling the newly completed facility, the ceremony recognized the many supporters and donors who were paramount in making the Hope Lodge a reality including The Queen’s Medical Center for contributing the land, and The Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation for contributing the $3.5 million lead gift to help kick off the capital campaign.

The average stay of patients utilizing the Society’s other operating Hope Lodge facilities around the country is approximately 15 nights. The Hope Lodge in Hawai’i is expected to serve nearly 487 patients per year.

With the Hope Lodge now complete, the first patients to stay at the facility will arrive beginning Nov, 28, 2016.

The Hope Lodge Hawai‘i is located at 251 Vineyard Street on Oʻahu.