Hope Lodge- Baked Potato Night

Monday, March 29, 2010

On Monday night, the 4K for Cancer team went to the Hope Lodge to prepare baked potatoes for dinner. At the event, I met a man named Robby.

Robby is a man in his mid-fifties with such a smile and energy in his pale green eyes that it’s hard to imagine he’s battling esophageal cancer. As we talked over the baked potatoes, Robby and I spoke about the 4K’s trip across the country this summer and other matters of the world.

Robby’s was amazed when I told him that the ride would take us across the country all the way to San Francisco, which I said seemed trivial in comparison to the courage it takes to fight cancer. As we spoke, the topic of our conversation gradually changed and he told me about his two sons, his home in Pennsylvania, and how grateful he was for what the Hope Lodge provided him.

As we chatted more, it truly dawned on me how much the Hope Lodge contributes to everyone’s lives during an otherwise helpless time. Robby had been traveling back and forth between Baltimore and his home, which was two hours away. For the past 16 weeks he had been having regular treatments and the Hope Lodge minimized the stress of his commute between therapies.

Robby had been through several bouts of chemo and radiation and he mentioned that he had one last day of treatment before he could go home. He looked well and he said the treatments weren’t disagreeing with him, humorously adding that it was nice to have a full head of hair.

As dinner came to an end, we went around the room and each team member introduced themselves, talked about the reason they were embarking on the journey this summer, and for fun mentioned their favorite ice cream flavor. After several “vanillas” and “strawberries” dinner slowly came to an end.

As I got up to leave, Robby wished me luck on my journey.

I smiled and I wished him the same.

Terence Tse