Finding Your Home Away From Home When Traveling for Treatment

When diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, getting the right treatment is extremely important.

For many who live far from big hospitals or specialist cancer centers, this can be a stressful proposition. Do you settle for local care, or travel for treatments and recovery that can last weeks? Staying near the treatment center could ease one burden but elevate others, such as finding accommodation and paying for it.

Home Away From Home

It was a conundrum John Sanders faced when he was diagnosed in 2018 with stage III pancreatic adenocarcinoma by a team of doctors in Augusta, Georgia, just over the border from his home in North Augusta, South Carolina.

Not convinced by the initial treatment plan, he sought a second opinion from the Duke Cancer Center in Durham, North Carolina. He decided their aggressive treatment suggestion —a twelve-hour Whipple procedure, a strong chemotherapy regimen, and radiotherapy— was a better fit. But the cancer center was also more than a four-hour drive away—each way.

John arranged to have the chemo administered close to home, but the months of radiation were to take place at Duke. Luckily, their cancer center is one of a growing number of institutions with affiliated “hospitality houses.” John was able to nab a space at Caring House, an 18-room facility where patients who live more than an hour away can stay, with their caregivers, for a nominal fee, for weeks at a time. The average stay is four to six weeks, often during radiotherapy, but some stay longer.

Founded in 1992 by Frankie DuBose after years of tireless fundraising alongside five of her female friends, Caring House provides more than just a room for the hundreds of guests who pass through its doors each year.

“The best people stayed there, and it was just like home, with music, Bible study, spiritual support, relaxation, therapy—a home away from home. We had food from community organizations, entertainment with live bands, anything we needed. Caring House is a great place,” John recalls. (Read more of John’s journey to survivorship or be inspired by his video.)

With more than 120,000 visits to Duke Cancer Center’s clinics each year—most of them outpatient—there is definitely a need for accommodation for those who live outside the local area, says Caring House’s Director of Development, Callie Ramsay. In 2024 alone 773 people stayed at Caring House.  

Ramsay has been touched by the support of the local community, donating thousands of dollars each year in order to make it affordable for guests, taking costs down to $45 per night or lower, depending on patient circumstances. “The affordability really takes some of the stress away from something that can cause such anxiety in what is a harrowing time,” Ramsay explains. “We’re glad to be able to ease some of their burden and a possible barrier to care, enabling people to travel and benefit from Duke’s first-class treatment.”

Executive Director Sasha Zarzour notes that patients are not the only ones to benefit. Their loved ones also appreciate the break and the camaraderie that is fostered in the communal spaces and activities. “There’s so much value in being able to share stories and get advice from others who are going through similar things,” she adds. “It’s such a morale boost for both patients and caregivers alike.”

Providing Hope and Expanding Access

According to the American Cancer Society (ACS), approximately 200,000 people travel 40+ miles to receive the cancer treatment they desperately need each year, and this number is growing. With a typical cancer regimen of surgery and radiation lasting six to eight weeks, travel often skyrockets the cost of care, with lodging alone often reaching as much as $17,000.

This can mean that people who live in rural communities or in cities that lack high-quality cancer centers do not have the same access to care as those who live near a major cancer center or those who can afford to temporarily relocate to seek care. It may also deter these people from taking part in clinical trials.

To address this, the ACS offers free, temporary housing at more than 30 Hope Lodge locations across the United States, with 1,100 private rooms accommodating 31,000 guests per year.

A Living Legacy—Online

When Ann Calahan’s husband Joe Warnecke was battling soft tissue cancer liposarcoma for six years in the 1990s, it was not easy to find places for the New Yorkers to stay in the Houston area while Joe underwent treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center—even with Ann’s background in the travel industry.

The experience inspired her to set up Joe’s House, an online resource that lists more than 2,000 lodging options in more than 150 cities across the country. The nonprofit works with hotels and other lodging facilities to centralize inventory and provide medical discounts to cancer patients.

In addition to an easy-to-use lodging search function, it also features a comprehensive list of charitable organizations that help with air travel and other financial expenses, as well as other practical and holistic resources. These include web-based caregiving coordination services that allow friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors to come together to meet the daily needs of patients and their families, as well as organizations that host respite weeks for patients and their loved ones to enable them to find the peace and energy needed to continue fighting their cancer.

Another site with great resources is Patient Resource. Headed by Dr. Charles Balch, a former Executive Vice President and CEO of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, and a host of medical and patient advisory board members, it includes a comprehensive list of financial resources, from basic living expenses, childcare, supplies, and prescriptions, to housing, transportation, insurance premiums, and legal expenses.

Many hospitals and cancer treatment centers also offer their own housing programs, or can help you find a place that fits your budget and is close to your treatment center. Your healthcare center may have a social worker, case manager, or navigator who is specially trained to help with this kind of situation, so ask your healthcare team if this is an option.

As John Sanders can attest, having a place like Caring House made all the difference.