See inside the new cancer support home in Fayetteville

This Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we’re going deeper on Washington Regional’s new Cancer Support Home in Fayetteville.

Why it matters: The home is a free place to stay for people who live out of town but are receiving cancer treatment in the area.

• This way, they don’t have to make several trips, which might be particularly taxing on someone going through chemotherapy or surgery. It also eliminates the need to pay for a hotel on top of medical bills.

The new building is a major upgrade from the former cancer support home on Woolsey Avenue.

Context: NWA serves cancer patients who live in the surrounding rural areas where treatment is more scarce. Patients who stay at the home are not necessarily Washington Regional patients. They typically travel from rural Arkansas, Missouri, or Oklahoma, says the home’s director of outreach services, Jason Kelly.

Details: The home has eight hotel-like rooms with bathrooms, a community kitchen, a room for counseling services and a sunroom with a patio.

• The home also has a boutique complete with vanity mirrors and fitting rooms where patients can choose wigs, headscarves, mastectomy bras and prosthetic breasts — at no cost to them.
• Kelly says he often sees patients meeting and talking with each other in the community kitchen.
• Patients must have a support person, like a family member or friend, stay with them.

Flashback: The cancer support home previously operated inside a house that was built more than 90 years ago. It only had four bedrooms, including three upstairs that were accessible by only stairs — not ideal for people going through cancer treatment.

Of note: This month, the home will provide free breast exams to the public (with an appointment) this Saturday.