Meet Pat, Our November Guest at Homes of Hope!

Aloha!  My name is Pat Dooley, and I’m from Hawaii.  I am a wife, a mother, and a grandmother to an active 2-year-old toddler.  In April 2021, I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given three months to a year to live.  Hearing that was so devastating to my family and me.  Since then, with support from loved ones, prayers, and a wonderful team of doctors at MD Anderson Cancer Center, I was able to stay positive and strong. Whipple surgery, which was not even an option according to my Hawaii doctors, became a reality in March 2022.  Although I am so very thankful to have had the surgery, what still can’t be ignored is that my long term treatment comes with tremendous financial costs.  The biggest expenses have been from airfare and extended hotel stays.

My husband and I discovered Homes of Hope through my oncologist, who was looking for a way to help us lessen some of these costs.  The Reaumond Foundation’s Homes of Hope was the answer, and it has truly been a blessing.  Their condo was comfortable, spacious, and private.  For me, it felt like a safe haven where I could rest and recover from long days of appointments, tests, and treatments.  My husband and I used the full kitchen every day for making home cooked meals.  It was also so nice to have a washer and dryer right there in the unit.  In addition to these comforts, Alyssa Cassata, The Reaumond Foundation’s Director of Strategy and Innovation was always there for us, offering to help at any time.  It gave my husband and me a great sense of relief knowing there was someone that we could turn to if needed.

I am so very grateful to the Reaumond Foundation for generously offering their Homes of Hope!  Besides being a beautiful place of respite, staying at the condo greatly decreased our expenses, making it all the more possible for me to return to Houston in the future to receive the best cancer care in the nation.