Lyle and his wife, Carol, discovered Wellness House in 2018, shortly after Carol was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was a nurse at Elmhurst Hospital, herself a cancer survivor, who gently pointed them toward the Hinsdale Home of Hope that, unbeknownst to them at the time, would become a vital part of their story. “It was providential,” Lyle says. “We didn’t plan it. But we found ourselves in a nurturing place that welcomed us like family.” As Carol began treatment, the couple immersed themselves in Wellness House programs: nutrition programs, support groups, educational workshops, spiritual care sessions. It was a time of intense learning and adjustment. Then, just months later, Lyle received a diagnosis of his own: prostate cancer. In a matter of months, cancer became part of both of their stories.
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October focused on breast cancer
For much of the world, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. For Wellness House and participants like Justine Kennedy, it’s every month.
Kennedy, a resident of Countryside, was 35 when she received a diagnosis of Stage 2B breast cancer. It wasn’t until after surgery and radiation that Kennedy turned to Wellness House to help her through what is, for many women, the hardest part of recovery.
Fall-Winter Newsletter 2026
When Justine was diagnosed with breast cancer at 37, she already understood the science. What she couldn’t fully know was what cancer would ask of
Light the Way’ for Wellness House and the year ahead – The Hinsdalean
This year, the Wellness Ball on Saturday, Oct. 24, kicks off the year in high style at the Ritz-Carlton in Chicago. The theme, “Light the Way,” reflects the guiding role that Wellness House plays in helping people navigate the emotional, physical and practical challenges of cancer. This year’s chairs – Dr. Angela Crowley and Dr. R. Webster Crowley; Jennifer Carmody Haunty and Jake Haunty; and Dr. Gale England Smith and Stephen Smith – all of Hinsdale, have deeply personal reasons to step into leadership roles this year. If it’s true that everyone has been affected by cancer in one way or another (including this columnist), it’s doubly so for this year’s chairs, three of whom are doctors and three of whom lost their spouses to cancer.