BALTIMORE — When doctors told John Barnes that the prostate cancer in his body had spread, that brought him to Baltimore and Hope Lodge.
“Well, I was, I was concerned,” Barnes says. “I didn’t know when or how it was going to work out. But sometimes you gotta put it in the hands of the man upstairs to help you out, and he certainly did.”
Hope Lodge provides free stays for cancer patients and their caregivers. It’s one of 31 in the country the American Cancer Society has. It’s part hotel, part retreat.
“It’s been a thousand percent better than what I thought it would be,” Barnes says. “Because not only is the staff great, but the people that are going through the same thing I am are great, too. And they’re willing to share their journey and talk about it.”
Hope Lodge relies on the generosity of the community. It is holding a food and supply drive. The lodge needs everything from paper towels to protein bars.
“It also helps them not worry about things,” says Therese Gustitis, manager. “They don’t have to worry about packing laundry detergent. They don’t have to worry about packing toilet paper. We provide all of that.”
The lodge is also looking for groups to prepare meal nights, do activities, and provide entertainment.
They have an Amazon wish list of items they need. To donate: cancer.org/hopelodgebaltimoregive.
