New friends help each other heal

At the Gabriel House, we stand behind our mission that our house offers a community of healing unlike staying in a hotel or being isolated by yourself. By having no TVs in the rooms and providing integrative therapy classes our guests can heal faster just by interacting closely with everyone in the house.

Esther, who is seen to the right, is a caregiver professionally and has been helping her patient, John while he was undergoing chemotherapy. She has previously helped her mother, and several other members of her family for years as well. 

While being a caregiver professionally is emotionally taxing, Esther says being one 24/7 in Gabriel House makes it easier. When she first arrived at our house Esther said she met Roxanne was the first person she opened up to, who is on the right.

“Roxanne was the first person that I talked to in this house and I haven’t been able to tell her how much just her presence has helped me emotionally.” 

Esther and Roxanne befriended each other since then and have been able to lean on the other person in the house when needed and can often be seen cooking together as well as exchanging recipes. 

“She was such a light to me in this house and I have felt so much relief knowing I can talk to her about what I’m going through,” Esther confessed emotionally. “Just knowing I had someone to talk to… meant so much to me, and that I didn’t have to keep my feelings to myself.”

Roxanne reciprocated back that she was also so happy to be able to confide in Esther, but had no idea the impact she had on her or that she was the first person Esther had met. Her husband, Joe said for that same reason he introduces himself to everyone in the house just so they can be able to talk to him if needed. 

Just as Joe once was new in the house he can relate to the same anxiety and stress new guests experience when they enter our house. 

“I just want that everyone should feel comforted by the fact that they at least knew one person in the house and could talk to me,” he added. Joe said by introducing himself first he could take a burden off of stressed-out newcomers to the house. 

Even though Joe and Roxanne left the house shortly after, they maintained their friendliness and have made themselves familiar with most of the people before their departure at the Gabriel House. 

Without knowing it, Joe and Roxanne as well as Esther and John impacted each other and helped each other greatly in coping with the difficulties of being cancer and transplant patients as well as the scary reality of being a caregiver to your loved one.