Home  | About Us  | News & Events  | Contact Us  | Directions

Health Information Services Physicians Referring Physicians Hospitals and Clinics Academic Affiliates Patients & Visitors Faculty & Staff

Ellis Fischel Cancer Center 115 Business Loop 70 W. Columbia, MO 65203 (573) 882-2100 About Clinical Trials Directions Disease Sites Ellis Fischel Gala Ellis Magazine Email a Patient Email Us Employment Gift Shop Guest House Index A to Z Make a Gift Margaret Proctor Mulligan     Breast Health Center Phone Numbers Physician Information Support Groups Treatment Programs Submit Comments

EFCC Welcomes Much Needed Guesthouse

Suzie Wilson, 50, of Milan, Mo., followed her physician's treatment plan to the letter when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1996. She firmly believed, and still does, that "you have to survive the treatments if you want to survive the cancer."

Luckily, Wilson did survive. But some of the cancer patients she met at Ellis Fischel Cancer Center decided not to pursue treatment knowing the physical and financial burdens they would face. Wilson recalls a couple from southern Missouri who lived in a borrowed camper they parked on Ellis Fischel's grounds while the husband underwent treatments. "One day they told me I might not see them the next week because they couldn't afford the rent to park their camper," Wilson says. "I asked around to find out how much it cost. It was only $5 per day."

---

Suzanne Hullender, coordinator of Patient and Family Support Services at Ellis Fischel, knows firsthand the financial strain cancer patients face. "When people experience cancer, their entire lives are disrupted, including their ability to earn a living," she explains. "Even if their treatment is covered, outpatient prescriptions, lodging and meals often are not, adding stress to an already overburdened situation."

Looking back, Wilson, who is an Ellis Fischel Advisory Board member, says she would have loved to have told the couple that the cancer center soon will have a guest house. Building a guest house has been discussed throughout the 60-year history of Ellis Fischel, but the campaign didn't become a reality until 1998, when the late Eugenia Wyatt gave a significant donation to initiate the project. A lifelong mid-Missouri resident whose sister was treated by oncologist Ellis Fischel, MD, for sarcoma, Wyatt recognized the need to provide a convenient and comfortable haven for cancer patients and their families.

Next >>