Hope Lodge opening a new location in San Antonio’s Medical Center later this year
SAN ANTONIO — Catching cancer early is a top priority for cancer researchers, because if caught in an early stage the likelihood of beating the disease rises to 90 percent. Having the support you need after finding out you have cancer, goes a long way in keeping your spirit and body alive.
Hearing the three words “You have cancer” can be absolutely devastating. But hearing the three words “There is hope” and believing it is a must for anybody receiving a life-altering cancer diagnosis.
“I will tell you that nothing was more important than my wife as my caregiver and support.” said Jamie Wesolowski who is a cancer survivor, or cancer thriver.
He was fortunate and had that means to receive treatment, but as the President and CEO of Methodist Healthcare Ministries, knows how hard navigating a cancer diagnosis can be, if you don’t have the means.
“Getting that diagnosis and then imagine being someone who barely gets by every day and then trying to figure out how you’re going to maneuver this and to get to care and to pay for it and things like that,” he said.
Shane Jacobson, the CEO of the American Cancer Society, said, “The American Cancer Society annually, promotes and updates screening guidelines. And we believe more awareness about screening guidelines is critically important. But even with screening guidelines, it’s important that all of us pay attention to our bodies.”
If you are screened and you get that cancer diagnosis, you may be looking for Hope. That’s where Hope Lodge comes in to help break down barries to necessary cancer care. This October a new location is scheduled to open in San Antonio’s medical center on Floyd Curl Drive.
Wesolowski said: “We have people now that will be able to come and receive free lodging. we also have means through American Cancer Society to transport them, to get them to San Antonio and get them to the the Hope Lodge, to give them rights to their treatment and their, the procedures.”
Across Texas, our Hope Lodge communities provided 46,155 free nights of lodging in 2024. The American Cancer Society Methodist Healthcare Ministries Hope Lodge will offer 40 private suites and provide more than 14,000 free nights of lodging each year. SA Hope Lodge Capital Campaign says it is an estimated $2 million in lodging cost relief for patients and caregivers.
This year alone more than 160,000 people will be diagnosed in Texas. And a whopping 7,500 people a year come to San Antonio from over 50 miles away for life-saving cancer treatment. Not just treatment, but also hope.
Jacobson added, “You’re are not in this fight alone. We recognize it might be very lonely, but we want you to hear directly from us that you. You’re not alone.”