Dinner at Hope Lodge

Monday, April 19th

Having only been on my new bike once (where I think I spent as much time running into poles and falling over at stoplights as I did actually on my bike), I was a little nervous to actually bike with the team through Baltimore's pothole-filled streets and infamous traffic to get to the Hope Lodge. I needn't have worried - what with Kristine's singing Miley Cyrus's "The Climb" behind me and everyone else turning around at stoplights to check and make sure I hadn't gotten side-swiped by a passing car, I, and the rest of the team, made it to the Hope Lodge without incident.

Once there we set up everything for a nacho dinner. Once everyone filled their plates and settled down, Kristine and Jose introduced the team and asked each of us to stand up, tell a bit about ourselves, and pick a song we thought best described ourselves. Caught totally unaware and made to go first, I tried to come up with something deep and meaningful, and ended up describing the song "Be a Man" by Mulan.... oops.

Dinner and conversation was, as always, wonderful. I got a chance to catch up with a couple from Maryland, Don and Darlene, whom I'd met the previous week at Bingo night. Both were doing well; Don was on his second to last round of treatment and excited to be nearing the finish line. As our conversation progressed, Don asked me if I was excited for this summer, and I confessed that while I was, I was also terrified by the sheer prospect of biking across the entire country, and couldn't help but wonder sometimes if I was absolutely insane for trying. Don and Darlene were amazing - making me laugh and loosen up but also telling me about the people in their family had been affected by cancer and how moved they were by what we were doing. They hugged me tightly and told me to keep training, that I'd be just fine.

I'm glad that in going to the Hope Lodge we help raise the spirits of the inspirational, courageous people there, but I'm even more grateful for all the strength and motivation they give us to persevere in this crazy adventure. I can't wait to write to Don and Darlene from San Fransisco to say, thanks, you were right, I made it! :)

Pooja Singal

Dessert Night at Hope Lodge

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Today we went there with two big buckets of ice-cream, chocolate syrup, cherries and whipped cream. As we were making our way into the kitchen I was greeted with a broad smile from Marc and his wife and caregiver Dana with whom I had spent time last time. I smiled back at them. As soon as we got the ice-cream out for serving there was a queue and you could hear things like,



``Don’t be so greedy!”

`` No, the extra one’s for my wife!

``But she is not there!”

They laughed it off and the line moved ahead. Charlie, caregiver for her friend Karen Patterson, recovering from pancreatic cancer spotted me and picked on me, `` so, did you get those bikes for me today? You are gonna give that to me for $200.00”.

I told him, ``Yeah, most certainly, but you will have to wait until the end of our bike trek. Hopefully it will still be worth that much!”



A few more laughs and we settled down on our tables. I served myself some chocolate and strawberry ice-cream and sat down with Marc and Dana. Marc is undergoing treatment for throat cancer and he told me that today wasn’t one of the better days and that he felt tired and worn out. We did our customary brief introductions in the room and then went back to our table discussions. Marc is a sports coach for kids and was telling me about these cameras that we can fit on our bike helmets that we should look into. He told me that they are used by players in football and hockey and it would be really cool to capture our trip on video as we would be witnessing some of the most breathtaking scenic routes on our bike trek to San Francisco. Kristine and Adam joined me shortly on that table and I could see that Marc’s spirits were uplifted as he spoke to us and Kristine told us about last year’s route. Marc’s mantra for fighting cancer: One day at a time!

I was glad that I could be there that night. ``One day at a time!” I will think of those words by Marc and bike harder when I hit the Appalachians and the Rockies this summer.

Abhishek Gupta

``Brinner" with Hope Lodge Residents

Whoever said you should start your day with a big bountiful breakfast was really onto something. But why not end your day the same way? Thats exactly what we did this week during our visit to the Baltimore Hope Lodge. All of us 4k-ers gathered in the kitchen, cracking eggs, flipping pancakes, and frenching toast, all in a race to feed the hungry residents waiting right outside. I paired up with Meg for the evening and learn the secrets of her magnificent french toast recipe. Good thing I got to try a slice before we brought it out to the dining room, because they were just about gone within minutes!

Even though the first hope lodge event was a blast, I really enjoyed how the 2010 team got a chance to get much more closer and a bit more personal with the residents this second time around. After working through the line for some Brinner (breakfast + dinner = Brinner!) I decided to grab a seat by a lovely fellow by the name of Cliff the mailman. Mr. Cliff was quite the character, within minutes of getting to know him we dove right into conversing about him favorite pastime, fishing! Cliff seemed like a pro hearing how he caught enough to eat for a whole month once.

After rubbing elbows for a bit I came across a caregiver by the name of sandy. She truly was a delight and a heartthrob if I might add. Her charisma was contagious and her jokes brought a smile to everyone's face. Sandy talked about how she always dreamed of going to Kansas CIty, her father's hometown. After hearing this I immediately informed her that one of our stops this year was right in Kansas City. She was so excited that I had to promise to send her a postcard once the team and I rode in sometime in June.

All in all, I can honestly say that the more time I come to the hope lodge, the more I fall in love with it. The residents kept on saying how remarkable all of us at the 4K are for going on our 4,000 mile journey, but in reality it is the residents themselves that are remarkable. While our fight against cancer journey for only 62 days, some of the residents have been own fights for over 20 years. Nothing could compare to the spirt and determination that the residents at the hope lodge share with us each and every time we come to visit.

I can't wait to come back and hear yet another set of stories from the tails and travels of mailman Cliff.

Jose Medina

Dessert Night

For over two decades, the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge in Baltimore has been a "home away from home" for cancer patients and their families. The 4K for Cancer team volunteers weekly during the semester, making meals and interacting with the folks who always seem to welcome our visits with open arms.

It's dessert night, and we walk in with nothing a few buckets of ice cream and a big smile. I recognize a few familiar faces as we make our way to the kitchen. It doesn't take us long to set up - a good thing, given the unexpectedly large crowd. I find myself at a table with Dana, Andrew, and a couple I had not met before. We chat and learn that they’re from California, a fact that Andrew naturally finds exciting.

As it turns out, the reason for the sizable gathering was none other than Bingo. Each of us is handed several cards, and with every table grouped into a team, we're quickly thrust into this surprisingly fast paced game of chance.

"B 12". "G 65". "I 23". Our hands and eyes dart across and down our cards as the numbers are called out. We remark about how unfortunate our cards are and joke about cheating as we stare at the blank spots where red squares should be, anxiously waiting for good numbers. It's more fun than you might think.

After a couple rounds, it becomes apparent that our table got the short end of the stick. Tables all around us are getting bingos, and the anticipation mounts as we wait for probability to give us ours. Dana does manage to win a "worst card" round, but, alas, the bingo remains out of our grasp. Of course, it's just game of chance - our bingolessness doesn't detract from the fun, and before long it's time for the 4K team to head out.

Volunteerism is wonderful thing, but before this night I couldn't help but wonder if the little things that we do while volunteering at the Hope Lodge could make any significant impact on the lives of those with conditions as serious as cancer.

As we say goodbye to the couple from California, we learn that the wife will be leaving for home soon, while the husband will be staying.

"Coming back next Monday?" he asks. I sense a bit of hope in his question.

"Yep, I'll be here on Monday," I promise as realization dawns on me.

Hope is really all about enjoying the most that you can, especially if you’ve got that unlucky card.

Charlie Ouyang