Published August 28, 2008                                                          

Learning about Wellness House
has inspired us this past year
  They don’t work in a hospital.
    They aren’t trained to remove a tumor or administer chemotherapy.
    But the people at Wellness House in Hinsdale save lives.
    They do so by offering healing touch therapy to help reduce stress, pain and fatigue in those who have been diagnosed with cancer.
    By offering support groups for people with cancer, their spouses and their children.
    By offering classes in exercise, nutrition, yoga, tai chi, qigong, journaling, guided imagery, meditation and a host of other topics.
    By housing a library filled with books, audiotapes and CDs.
    By giving couples the chance to have a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner, no matter how ill one spouse might be.
    By helping with things that might seem superficial but are truly important to someone going through radiation, such as how to cope with changes in their hair, nails and skin.
    And little by little, day by day, they help lessen the pain of dealing with cancer.
    The story of Wellness House is even more amazing because it is built on the volunteer efforts of community members who were committed to bringing this type of a facility to Hinsdale.
    Volunteers continue to support Wellness House — by organizing fund-raisers such as the annual Equinox Ball, teaching classes, working at The Courtyard consignment shop or simply answering the phone.
    That level of support enabled Wellness House to offer programs that were accessed almost 19,000 times by participants and their family members in 2007 alone.
    Through our inaugural Making a Difference partnership, we at The Hinsdalean have been fortunate to get to know some of the participants, staff and volunteers whose lives have been touched by Wellness House. And we’ve been lucky enough to share those stories with you.
    This fall we’re excited to publish a special section that will compile all the articles in the yearlong series. And we’re excited next week to announce a new partner with whom we’ll work over the next year to help make a difference.
    But this first partnership, we know from experience, will hold a special place in our hearts. We have been inspired by people like Amy Owens, who is surviving her battle with cancer, and by people like Byrd Johnson, who lost his.
    Most importantly, we hope our work has helped Hinsdale residents learn more about this remarkable asset that sits right in their own back yard. Because no matter how much we’d like to change the fact, cancer affects all our lives in one way or another.
    What a relief to know, thanks to Wellness House, we don’t have to go through it alone.

— Making a Difference is a yearlong partnership between
The Hinsdalean and Wellness House to increase awareness
about the organization, which works to encourage, educate and
emotionally support people working to overcome the effects of cancer.