"Miracle House"

For the next few months Robin will receive care in our hometown, but for the last few months we've been staying in the city. At the beginning of Robin's treatment (in August) it became clear that we were going to be in New York City on-and-off for a long while. We have been blessed in so many ways throughout this experience and when it came to the issue of lodging the blessing appeared in the form of the "Miracle House" whose slogan is "Hope away from Home".

The organization, which is funded through private donations, rents five furnished three-bedroom apartments in a high-rise residential apartment building located near Times Square. It offers the individual bedrooms in those apartments (for a nominal fee) to families who are traveling to NYC for medical care - so Miracle House can accommodate up to fifteen different families at a time. The organization offers a multitude of benefits, many of which are supported by a network of wonderful volunteers. For instance, Reiki practitioners volunteer to provide Reiki sessions (holistic energy healing) to guests at no charge!

Miracle House also provides breakfast every day and a few dinners each week - all free of charge. Families can simply show up in the apartment lobby at the designated meal time and a Miracle House volunteer will escort the group to a local restaurant. The sponsored meals provide an opportunity to meet even more families (besides the families with whom you share an apartment), and they also provide an opportunity to meet and get to know the volunteers who provide both emotional and practical support!

We initially discovered Miracle House while searching for reasonably priced accommodations, but we have found so much more than an inexpensive place to stay. Having been a guest, it's difficult for me to imagine a family traveling to foreign city and staying in a hotel for months while seeking healthcare treatment. Besides the financial stress it could cause (e.g. hotels in New York City can be $300/night) patients must feel isolated and frustrated feeling that no one else could understand their "individual" cancer experience. In the Miracle House guests are brought together specifically by the common experience of a family healthcare crisis. Though our individual circumstances vary, it's been an incredible relief the last few months for us to be able to meet and talk with other folks in similar circumstances - and to meet the wonderful staff and volunteers who share their knowledge and their time with the guests. The guests, volunteers and staff there truly do provide "Hope away from Home".

(http://www.miraclehouse.org/)