In just a few years, families of cancer patients will have one less thing to worry about when they seek treatment in Dallas.
The American Cancer Society has broken ground on a facility that will offer free lodging for patients and families. The doors to the complex, called the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Hope Lodge, will open in 2021 and provide more than 18,000 nights of lodging each year.
Baylor Scott & White Health donated the property, near the Baylor University Medical Center campus.
The 40,000-square-foot lodge will house 50 guest suites; common living, dining, and laundry areas; a library; meditation room; and outdoor garden, according to a release from the cancer society. The nonprofit already operates more than 30 Hope Lodge locations across the country.
“The American Cancer Society is committed to removing the emotional, physical, and financial burdens that many cancer patients must face when they travel away from home for treatment,” says Jeff Fehlis, executive vice president for the American Cancer Society’s South Region (which will move its headquarters to inside the new facility), in a release. “Thanks to the generosity of partners and individuals who have stepped up to help with this project, we will soon be able to provide a home away from home for cancer patients allowing them to focus on what’s important — getting well.”
Those partners include Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, hence the name of the facility, which also includes his wife’s name. The couple donated the “lead gift” toward the facility’s construction. According to WFAA/Channel 8, the Joneses made a $7.5 million contribution.
Other large donors include the Don and Trudy Steen Charitable Foundation, Carmen and Jeff York, Moody Foundation, and others. So far, almost $32 million has been raised for the project, according to the cancer society.
Cancer patients and their families will have a place to stay free of charge when seeking treatment.
