“…We are so glad there was room for us ‘at the inn’…”

My husband and I have been blessed by staying here during his pre-op appointments, then the first phase of Deep Brain Stimulation surgery (DBS) to implant electrodes in his head. We expect to be here again in a couple of weeks when he has second phase DBS surgery to put the battery pack in his chest and connect the wires to it from his brain. This will function kind of like a heart pace maker, except for the brain. Hopefully, this will reduce the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease which he has had for more than a decade, but has only been diagnosed since 2007.

We heard about the Family House through Jill Weber, our Care Coordinator at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. She kindly got the necessary physician’s referral and contacted SECU, then your staff contacted us. Hooray, we had a convenient place to stay at a reasonable price!

It is hard to say what was our favorite part about the Family House, because it was all so good. Some of our favorite things: a comfortable room with two big beds, a bath & a TV with a lot of channels; hospitality that began with an enormously warm welcome by the front desk staff; the sharing of stories with others – usually at meals; a sense of ‘knowing’ communicated with just a nod of the head and eye contact. We also enjoyed the spacious sitting room which we could offer to our friends who came to keep us company during the brain implant surgery.

I saw the therapy dog there one night and would have stopped to enjoy a visit, but something needed doing, so I passed up the opportunity. I didn’t connect with a formal caretakers’ support group, but sharing with others at table was enormously helpful. Since we were there in December, we enjoyed lovely holiday music several evenings, offered by talented musicians who gave us all quite a gift.

One of our favorite dinners comes to mind: meatloaf – a comfort food for both of us. Besides the nourishment to our bodies, it lifted our spirits to see groups of volunteers coming to fix food and to spread good cheer to one and all. ‘Kitchen talk’ eased our nerves.

This has been a journey we have taken together every step of the way. By the grace of God we have made it thus far. This welcoming place – the ‘Family House’ – has offered us a gracious place of hospitality & comfort. We are grateful for the many, kind people we have met here – staff & other guests.

Thank you for creating this community of love & support to be used by those who come here when it is most needed. Yes, we are so glad there was room for us ‘at the inn’.

We wish the best of luck to the Hanckels as they continue their journey to health!

Do you have your own story from staying, volunteering, or donating to the Family House?  Share yours here.