Gift of Life is Crucial for Rural Montana Patients Like Kaelianna
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As she cast the confetti of dried flower petals into the river, Kaelianna Ryan thought of the great-grandchildren she hopes to live long enough to meet and of the ancestors who shared the same vulnerability to cancer as she does but without the benefit of early warnings from genetic screenings.
The flower ritual ahead of her double mastectomy was about letting go and also a celebration of the empowerment she felt taking charge of her future.
For her 33rd birthday, Kaelianna received what she called “the gift of confusion” that came with a cancer diagnosis. It was another stage of her challenging health journey that included medical consultations in two states, Emergency Department visits, surgeries, and at last finding her way to Benefis Health System.
During her treatment in Great Falls, the Montana City artist and mother of two stayed at Gift of Life Housing. Because of donor generosity, cancer patients like Kaelianna and others can stay for free while undergoing treatment away from home.
“It was stressful having to travel so much,” she said. “I had one appointment I couldn’t even make because of snowy roads.”
More than 3,200 patients have found comfort in the healing calm of Gift of Life Housing since its founding in 1992. Those three decades and counting have left Gift of Life well-loved but also well-worn.
For the comfort of the next patients who need it, Benefis Foundation is asking donors to sponsor refurbishment of Gift of Life Housing to keep the spaces comfortable, safe, and in service.
Dr. Emilia Ploplys said most patients with a severe illness will have financial issues. They may not be able to work, may have unexpected travel costs on top of treatment, and other complicating factors. She’s even had a patient from southeastern Montana say she planned to sleep in her car between surgery and follow-up.
“It can be cost-prohibitive to travel for care,” Dr. Ploplys said. That’s why she’s become a supporter and advocate for the Gift of Life program and renovations.
Gift of Life began with an RV park and continued with houses on East and West campuses with short-stay rooms, apartment-style rooms for longer stays, common spaces, and laundry facilities. It’s become a refuge for cancer
patients exhausted by treatment and miles from home, for families caring for babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and for other people who travel for medical treatment.
Folks tell us Gift of Life made their treatment bearable and brought their family together when they needed each other most.
When Kaelianna began staying in Gift of Life for surgeries, she found a welcoming, peaceful place.
“I felt so grateful sitting on that chair knowing donors made this possible,” she said. “I didn’t have to drive in the middle of the night. I didn’t have to drive tired anymore.”
