CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — A first-of-its-kind cancer community center has opened its doors in Hampden Township, Cumberland County.
“We want people to be able to come in here and just breathe," said Jennifer Wagner, executive assistant of Radiant Hope.
The non-profit, Radiant Hope, opened the center Wednesday.
Radiant Hope was started by Joanna Dennstaedt after she was diagnosed with Stage 3 metastatic melanoma in 2014.
“I received a care package one day and I like to say that was really the start of Radiant Hope when I received a beautiful yellow package from a complete stranger and I thought why are we not doing this for everyone else?" said Dennstaedt.
The organization sends hope packages to patients, survivors, and caregivers.
Dennstaedt says the community center gives Radiant Hope a new way to support those impacted by cancer, creating a hub to connect them with all kinds of resources.
“We can find camps for your kids if they need it or treatment options or a lotion you might need or a wig and it’s a place you can come in and feel the support and the love," said Wagner.
Dennstaedt says there’s nothing like it in the area.
“I don’t want to do something that someone else is doing well but I do want to know that place that’s doing it well so we can connect the people that need those resources," she explained.
She says the center is just another way for her to share the same message of hope and support that got her through her own battle with cancer.
“Don’t lose hope—what you see right now may be the hardest and you might not be able to see through that lens that says cancer and says all the worst things but you have no idea the beauty from ashes that can come so keep going," said Dennstaedt.
More information about the community center can be found on the Radiant Hope website.
Download the FOX43 app here.