Cancer patients get free stay at Toledo mansion

The Casey-Pomeroy House Bed & Breakfast at 802 North Huron St., a 14,000-square-foot Italianate mansion immediately north of downtown, has been under renovation since 2003.

The Blade/Lori King
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Jean Schoen, founder and executive director of Cancer Connection of Northwest Ohio, shows off the Casey-Pomeroy house.

Cancer patients who travel to Toledo for medical treatment now have a comfortable - and elegant - place to stay.

Cancer Connection of Northwest Ohio announced yesterday that it has partnered with the Casey-Pomeroy House Bed & Breakfast to offer cancer patients and their caregivers free accommodations at the historic home just north of downtown.

"There are quite a few people who come here from out of town for their treatments," said Jean Schoen, Cancer Connection's founder and executive director. "This is another way we are able to alleviate their cancer journey."

The first patient already has stayed at the bed and breakfast at 802 North Huron St., a 14,000-square-foot Italianate mansion that has been under renovation since 2003. Ms. Schoen said the patient was in Toledo from Norwalk to undergo radiation twice a day for five days at the University of Toledo Medical Center, the former Medical College of Ohio.

"The stay was so pleasant for me," she wrote to owner Sue Burkett. "I love your B&B - very relaxing and pretty."

The Casey-Pomeroy House Bed & Breakfast at 802 North Huron St., a 14,000-square-foot Italianate mansion immediately north of downtown, has been under renovation since 2003.

Ms. Burkett said she is happy to be able to provide a place for rest and relaxation. "We feel we have been blessed here. It's been a long, hard journey, but we've been blessed," she said. "We have this beautiful house. We need to share it with other people."

Ms. Schoen, whose husband is a cancer survivor, started Cancer Connection of Northwest Ohio in December, 2008, as a way to connect cancer patients, their families, and caregivers with existing resources in the community and to identify and implement programs or resources that are needed.

Currently, Cancer Connection offers patient and caregiver mentoring, accompaniment to medical appointments and individual support for cancer patients, referrals to other programs, and a resource center that offers a food bank and free medical equipment.

Also yesterday, Ms. Schoen said the hematology and oncology department at the UT Medical Center's Ruppert Health Center offered office space where she will be able to interview patients and be available for client support during treatments and doctor appointments.

For more information, go to www.cancerconnectionofnorthwestohio.com.

Contact Jennifer Feehan at:

jfeehan@theblade.com

or 419-724-6129.