Goffs treated like family at Hope Lodge
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Goff was shocked by her diagnosis because she was the first person in her family to have cancer. But she was devastated by the news that she would have to be in Nashville for her lengthy treatments.
Goff and her husband, Floyd, who live in McMinnville, simply could not afford six weeks of hotel bills or the gas it would take to drive daily to a city 70 miles away.
Goff’s doctor first offered her and her husband lodging at his own home. After they turned him down, the Goffs were thrilled with a Vanderbilt social worker’s referral to the Hope Lodge.
The Hope Lodge is a free housing facility funded by the American Cancer Society. The Goffs lived at the Hope Lodge in Nashville for six weeks while Lynn had both chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
“There were license plates from all over the United States in the parking lot,” Floyd said. The Hope Lodge’s location near nationally renowned Vanderbilt, Centennial, and Baptist hospitals makes it a saving grace for people in this area, and as far away as Bermuda, Canada, and South America.
The Hope Lodge offers cancer patients living 50 miles or more outside the Nashville area a place to stay overnight during tests, or a place to live during their cancer treatments.
“Some people you would only see as they grabbed a cup of coffee the morning after their overnight stay. Others had lived there since the doors opened in September,” Lynn said.
While struggling through the physical and emotional strains of chemotherapy and radiation, nothing means more than a facility that provides all the comforts of home, according to the Goffs.
“It’s like one big family,” Floyd said. “When someone tells you that your reason for living has cancer, you don’t know what you’re going to do. Having a place like the Hope Lodge made everything so much easier.”
After her diagnosis, Lynn Goff’s sister saw a mention of Relay For Life in the newspaper and called Lynn.
“She said it was a good thing, so I went to the first meeting, and now I’m a Team Captain,” Lynn said.
Relay For Life is an American Cancer Society fundraiser that raises money for cancer research, education, advocacy, and services like the Hope Lodge. At the overnight event, teams raise money selling food and other items while team members walk the track.
“Our greatest concern is that people can’t see where the money they give events like Relay goes. We’re here to tell them about five stories of something concrete that made a difference in our lives. Contributions to Relay go to many things,” Floyd said.
Relay For Life in Warren County will take place June 3 at 6 p.m. at the Warren County Middle School football field. For more information about the Hope Lodge or other American Cancer Society programs, please call 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit www.cancer.org.