Lisa Kolavennu, CEO of Wellness House, joins Whitney Reynolds on IHeart Radio

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.