Filled with Gratitude
By Pedro Acevedo, Internal Communication
One of the most critical parts of our Open Arms mission is our incredible referring partners, who stood at the front line throughout these past few years of a major health crisis to support patients and allowed us to do the same. We find a perfect example of this with our social work partners at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville, TN. They sent us a note earlier in 2022, expressing their appreciation for our Open Arms homes that provide temporary accommodations to stem cell donors who need a place to stay while they do their own work to save lives. “We are social workers at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center. We LOVE Open Arms,” said Kelly Owens, a Vanderbilt University Medical Center social worker. “Our patients can have forms of hematology cancer such as leukemia and lymphoma. Our transplant patients, in this case, either get their own stem cells or receive them from a donor. Half of the donors are family members, while the other half are ‘angels,’ complete strangers who are willing to try to save a life by donating to a cancer patient.”
Kelly Owens
A transplant from a stem cell donor can require as much as a 100 day stay near the hospital. As Kelly tells it, a three-month stay in a furnished apartment in Nashville, one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States, can often cost around $12,000-$15,000. With such high costs and prices, saving on housing represents a tremendous help for both families in need and their donors. Here at Open Arms, we love working with Vanderbilt and its patients through the Open Arms Foundation! A Little Peace of Mind Being diagnosed with a life-altering illness or disease is challenging in every way. It brings unexpected hardship for the patients and their loved ones, making finding a place to stay, a process that is always stressful, an even more significant challenge. That is why the Open Arms Foundation works hard to let patients focus on their treatments while we care for the rest. By Pedro Acevedo, Internal Communications Exemplifying this was the Wood family. After learning that his wife would need a second transplant, they were both in a difficult place emotionally. Not only did they have to go through this process again, but they also had
to deal with dedicating time to finding a new apartment near the hospital, furnishing it, setting up utilities and everything else involved. All this can be a nightmare even without having a pending medical procedure. Thankfully, the family was referred to Open Arms, and we were able to help. “You helped me get an apartment last year, and I just wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart,” said Blake Wood. “You gave us a chance to just take care of what was most important at the time, and that was just to do all we could to get my wife healthy.” Blake’s wife had a successful transplant, and today she is in remission, feeling healthy for nearly two years. “I just wanted you to know what you are doing is so special, and we feel so fortunate,” Blake concluded.
Wood Family
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