Cancer patients receiving infusion treatments at Tomah Health will have one less thing to worry about thanks to a $5,000 donation to the hospital Sept. 19 from Treasured Chests of Monroe County.
Tomah Health Infusion Services Director Kathy Kettle said the donation will be used to provide complimentary meals for patients receiving care at the hospital. “Cancer patients need to have increased calorie intake in order to withstand the undertaking of cancer and then the treatments that they’re going through and to not have to go home to prepare a meal afterwards and to be able to receive that during their infusion visit is so important,” said Kettle. “Cancer patients are faced with many barriers during their treatment to achieve high quality nutrition, including nausea, taste changes, mouth sores, loss of appetite and dry mouth. Tomah Health offers a full menu to patients that help promote nutrition.”
She said the donation will supply meals for about six months for patients, which has skyrocketed to about 400 per month.
The donation is the second in as many years by the local cancer support organization. “It is important for us to support cancer patients that are going through treatment, and this is a great program for supporting their nourishment, easing their financial burden by having that available to them,” Treasured Chests past president Ann Schleicher said of the donation.
She said Treasured Chests has been supporting programs since 2017 thanks to their main fundraising event, “Ladies Night Out”, which raised over $25,000 this year. “One of the things that I feel is really important to point out is that it’s not Treasured Chests giving that money, it’s our whole community that poured the money into our organization for us to disperse to different organizations that are supporting people with breast cancer,” said Schleicher. “That’s why we created the organization; to give back. We are honored to be able to do this.”
Kettle said the hospital offers a multitude of services for patients including basic infusions with electrolyte replacement to high risk and low risk medication maintenance for cancer and biologic treatments. “Patients are so grateful to be able to receive their care close to home. Not having to get into a vehicle to drive anywhere from 30 minutes to 60 minutes to get home after treatment is really important to them,” explained Kettle. “They don’t feel well, they’re tired, they want to be home and being able to work with staff that live in their community and that they can relate to is really key for them.”
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