Wellness House was formed in 1990 by a group of people who came together with a single purpose: to better the lives of those living with cancer. Since opening its doors, over 48,000 individuals, plus their family members and caregivers, have found a supportive community that lifts the burden and hardships of cancer. 

Today, Wellness House offers over 500 programs and services between its main location in Hinsdale and its partner locations all around Chicagoland, including Mile Square Health Center/UI Health, Rush University Medical Center, Loyola Medicine’s Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center, and other suburban locations. In addition, thanks to advances in technology and additional partnerships and collaborations with medical facilities and organizations in the US, Wellness House has been delivering more than 6,000 programs (in-person and online combined) across thirty-five states since 2023. And true to their credo, all Wellness House programs are free for everyone who needs them.

This partnership model supports Wellness House’s mission to advance equity in cancer health by making cancer support accessible to the most cancer-burdened communities. They know that cancer is a disease that can affect anyone, but it doesn’t affect everyone in the same way: many barriers can impact a person’s ability to access cancer care. Often, these barriers are because of generational injustices that have and continue to give rise to racial and ethnic health disparities. Wellness House programs are designed to best serve the people in their immediate community. 

When cancer is diagnosed, it can be hard to know where to turn. Fortunately, when it comes to living more fully during cancer diagnosis and treatment, people can turn to Wellness House. Cancer can affect the whole person, meaning it often affects a person’s social, emotional, physical, spiritual and psychological, as well as physical needs. Further, every cancer experience is different. The results of extensive research show that psychosocial care, including the provision of support services and promotion of healthy eating and activity, can reduce the risk of cancer recurrence while improving health, survival, and quality of life.1 2

 

Through Wellness House, diagnosed individuals and their caregivers and family members can attend exercise classes, nutrition seminars, support groups, counseling, stress management classes, special events, and more, all taught and led by experts, that can help reduce side-effects, increase energy, and provide a sense of community. And the results show that the organization’s research and programming is effective: in their 2023 Annual Wellness House Participant Satisfaction Survey, 99 percent of the participants said Wellness House provided them a sense of community and support, and 98 percent stated they feel a sense of improved quality of life.3

Below, a clients share their story on how Wellness House helped them:

When Alejandra discovered she had stage III breast cancer, the first thing she thought about was her family back in Mexico. She’d recently immigrated to the US, alone, in search of a better life, and had not yet made any significant connections or relationships. But that changed when she walked into Wellness House.

Feeling a deep sense of dread and a fear of death, she found solace, friendship, and a newfound family while attending the Spanish Wellness House Breast Cancer Support Group. Alejandra calls the women in her weekly meetings mis hermanas (my sisters).

“All the people I met at Wellness House—everyone from the staff to the other participants—became my family,” said Alejandra. “They gave me the courage and hope that I could survive cancer.” Alejandra continues to attend support groups, counseling, and yoga classes. 

Offered at no cost, and as a complement to medical treatment, Wellness House’s programs educate, support, and empower participants in order to help them improve their physical and emotional well-being.

You can help cancer patients and advance cancer health equity by:

1 Luigi Grassi, Daniel Spiegel,  and Michelle Riba, “Advancing Psychosocial Care in Cancer Patients.” Abstract. National Library of Medicine, National Center for Biotechnology Information, 4:6:2083 (December 2017): doi: 10.12688/f1000research.11902.1, eCollection 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29259774

2 Tack, Laura, Patricia Schofield, Tom Boterberg, Rebecca Chandler, Christopher N. Parris, and Philip R. Debruyne. 2022. "Psychosocial Care after Cancer Diagnosis: Recent Advances and Challenges" Cancers 14, no. 23: 5882. https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14235882 

3 “Outcomes That Make a Difference,” DEIB, Wellness House for Living with Cancer, accessed March 11, 2024, https://wellnesshouse.org/deib-better-outcomes.