The lodge that gives
‘I don’t know what I would do without this place’
Editor’s note: This story is part of a Cape Breton Post Special Report taking a closer look at Nova Scotia’s health-care system and the patient experience of battling cancer.
The Susan K. Roberts Lodge That Gives couldn’t have a better name, says Tamara Corbett.
The 31-year-old is battling an aggressive form of leukemia and has been staying at The Lodge when she has to travel from Westmount to Halifax for weekly chemotherapy and medical appointments.
“I don’t know what I would do without this place,” said Corbett, a married mother of one.
“And they try to meet your needs, too. If you can’t eat certain things or have dietary issues or they will make you a sandwich if you have to go. If you are running late, they’ll call you and say ‘do you want me to put your supper in fridge?’ … they really do make it feel like home.”
The Lodge is run by the Canadian Cancer Society and provides accommodations, three meals a day and snacks for cancer patients who need treatment or medical appointments in the city but live 50 km or more away. They can accommodate 64 people a night.
Rooms are free for Nova Scotia cancer patients and $75 a day for out-of-province cancer patients or support people/ family members, with some exceptions like escorts for minors. There is a music room, art room and yoga studio as well as multiple meditation rooms and libraries on each floor. Extra services like webinars, reiki, massage therapy and yoga classes are available for those who stay at The Lodge.
People locally going through cancer treatments can also take advantage of some of the services, like the day respite room or support group. Lunch and supper are also available for local cancer patients at a small fee.
“One of our goals is we are looking at expanding the programming, so we can provide more for people struggling with cancer in our local community,” said Carol Oster, Lodge manager.
What makes The Lodge so remarkable for people battling cancer is the community it creates. When Corbett walked into The Lodge on April 2, she was greeted by staff and patients as if she was an old friend and not someone they have only known since November. It is evident they truly care and when Corbett broke down in tears, they stopped what they were doing to listen.
“There’s people that will sit down here and let you talk about all your problems and you don’t feel bad or like you are a nuisance,” Corbett said.
“Sometimes you don’t want to talk about your problems with your family because it just makes them worry. They don’t want you to hurt. The people here, they get what you are going through, the patients and the staff.”
At night, the smell of toast floats through the hallways and there is almost always a jam session in the music room. Other cancer patients gather in the dining room, drinking tea and chatting.
If someone comes in they don’t recognize, they are quick to offer help, curious if you are a newbie and eager to make you feel welcome.
Everyone, staff and patients, keeps an eye out for other patients staying there. They noticed Corbett didn’t look well when she arrived and were discreet when asking how she was.
Another benefit is there’s no being kicked out after checked out. Corbett appreciates because sometimes her travel back to Cape Breton is delayed.
“It’s someplace to go, always. The door is always open,” said Corbett, who has been staying at The Lodge weekly since the end of November.
Having meals readily available helps Corbett make sure she eats even when she isn’t feeling like it. When she misses a meal, a fellow cancer patient or a staff member will check on
her, sometimes bringing a meal or a cup of tea and crackers to her room without being asked.
Oster said beside the day-today staff at The Lodge, there are about 50 volunteers donating time and services to help better the stay of the patients using the facilities.
“Every day it is just amazing, you can feel all the positivity,” she said via phone interview with the Cape Breton Post.
“It’s probably the best job I’ve ever had.”
The majority of operation costs come from fundraisers, like the Daffodil Month campaign (April) and private donations.
“We are fortunate with the generosity of Nova Scotians,” Oster said.
Before Corbett was staying at The Lodge, she had her trailer in a campground in Hammonds Plain so her family could stay with her during her three-week radiation treatment and she had a home for the weekly visits that started the end of August.
By mid-October, the trailer was too cold and she put her name on the waiting list for The Lodge. While waiting to get in, she stayed at other places, some better than others but none made her feel as at home as The Lodge.
“I can come here crying and they just get it. There’s nothing they haven’t heard.”
Read Wednesday’s edition of the Cape Breton Post for more from this Special Report.
“Every day it is just amazing, you can feel all the positivity. It’s probably the best job I’ve ever had.” Carol Oster, lodge manager