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I attended the Wellness House Multiple Myeloma support group beginning in 2006 after my husband’s diagnosis. I had never heard of MM, and it seemed unbelievable that there was a support group right in my neighborhood – we lived in Oak Brook.  Felt like divine intervention. My husband, Frank, had been in ill health for all of 2006. He had gone repeatedly to his doctor, who ran multiple blood tests and found nothing amiss. Frank had pneumonia twice, lost over 20 pounds, and was in constant pain. Something was very wrong. A friend recommended an MRI – not the doctor, mind you, but a friend in the healthcare field.  The MRI showed that Frank was “full of cancer” – his bones looked like Swiss cheese.  Knowing now what I know about this disease, all the symptoms suggested multiple myeloma.

Wellness House offered me so much more than exercise classes, cooking classes, support groups, and fun events. Through all of those offerings are each more amazing than the next, what it provided me with ( for which I am most grateful ) is a place that understands my experiences and needs and in the process of that understanding, enveloped me with so much warmth, care and love.

Diane Hruby was one of the people who had a shared vision for the creation of Wellness House. In the late 1980’s, Diane thought that surviving her ovarian cancer would be impossible. Then a friend and long-time cancer survivor, Stella Pauls, paid Diane a visit. 

Sitting at her hospital bed, Stella talked Diane into facing the challenges of cancer and living to enjoy her two beautiful children. Diane had gone on to overcome cancer and savor the teenagers her children have grown to be.

All non-profits must maintain laser focus on excellent stewardship of donor dollars. Similarly, board members must bring forth resources to effectively fulfill the organization’s mission. In the end, what matters most to Wellness House is that talented, generous, passionate individuals get “bitten by the Wellness House bug” and jump in to do what they can in the service of people affected by cancer. This is exactly what happened to Bob Akers and Tim O’Day in the summer of 2009. 

When we look at today’s Wellness House, it can be hard to imagine that 35 years ago, the organization did not exist except in a small group of community members’ imaginations. Those early dreamers believed profoundly in the need for this resource. They were not sure, however, that such an organization could ever be successfully created and sustained. 

In 2016 I began my journey being diagnosed with a rare form of gynecological cancer that only 2 in a million get. I was told about the Wellness house by my oncologist and decided to give it a try.

Join us June 22 for Hot Topics in Breast Cancer. Learn about the latest in updates and treatment from top oncologists, surgeons and healthcare professionals in the Chicagoland area.

Join us June 22 for Hot Topics in Breast Cancer. Learn about the latest in updates and treatment from top oncologists, surgeons and healthcare professionals in the Chicagoland area.

Join us June 22 for Hot Topics in Breast Cancer. Learn about the latest in updates and treatment from top oncologists, surgeons and healthcare professionals in the Chicagoland area.