“I can’t believe how big a heart these cancer people have.”
Those are Jack Sebastian’s words, he is a 72-year-old Hazelton resident currently staying at the Kordyban Lodge in Prince George while being treated for cancer.
When the Lodge is at full capacity, Sebastian will be one of 36 individuals from out of town who reside there while undergoing cancer treatment.
Kordyban Lodge celebrated its 10th anniversary this year.
According to Simmi Parhar, the Lodge Manager, approximately 8,000 people have stayed in with them during that span.
Most remarkable, thanks to recent funding from the provincial government, Parhar said patients can stay at all four lodges in the provinces for free.
Sebastian was told he would need treatment in Prince George for seven weeks, and was not sold on staying in the Lodge during that time.
“I thought ‘jeez, I don’t want to go to a lodge!’ But now they changed my mind – they are excellent people… I can’t believe how good they are, they help a lot of patients, make it easier for them,” he said.
“I would highly recommend this place to our people [in Hazelton].”
From what he has observed, Sebastian said he is far from the only resident that feels this way.
“I have a good friend who has fourth stage cancer,” he said. “They have given him a lot of hope. He is pretty relaxed now, he was scared about chemo and all that.”
Sebastian is starting his third week at the Lodge now, he will only be spending four days back home in Hazelton for the holidays.
Staff and volunteers at Kordyban Lodge will work right through the holiday season.
One such volunteer is Judy Schinkel, who has been with the Lodge all 10 years.
“I am a cancer survivor,” she told Vista Radio. “It is nice to be there to listen and talk to the people that are here, give them hope that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel.”
“[Kordyban Lodge] is a home away from home,” Schinkel continued. “It is definitely not a hotel, it is a home. There is always someone to talk to, always someone to listen to you, all the comforts of home… it is a place to relax, and know there is someone there if they need.”
“People come as strangers and go as friends,” Parhar said. “They are all going through a very similar journey. A lot of individuals that come here make friends with each other, it is a sense of community where they can be together.”
Parhar recalled first getting hired at the lodge and thinking it would be a rather depressing job, when in reality she said it has been “the most happiest places I have been able to work at.”
The Lodge is operated and largely funded by the Canadian Cancer Society, which is largely funded by donations.
“I always say the Kordyban Lodge is here today because of the generous donations made by the community,” Parhar said, “we would not be able to do what we do without those continuous generous donations.”
“The last thing someone should be worried about is accommodation, they should be worried about getting better – their treatments,” she added.
“I got a rude awakening here, with the amount of people that are suffering with cancer,” Sebastian said. “Kordyban is the number one place to be when you are suffering through this… it helps a cancer patient want to live.”
“Can you imagine staying in a hotel?” Schinkel asked. “It is a home away from home, which I cannot stress enough… you have to remember, some of these people have to give up their job to come and get cancer treatment so their life can hopefully return to normal.”
She also extended an open invitation for people in Prince George to phone the lodge and set up a tour of the facility in the new year.
“Cancer never takes a holiday, all of these people here are going to go through Christmas while still doing their treatment,” Parhar said. “Donations are a way to support these people.”
You can learn more about Kordyban Lodge here.