Cancer survivor hosts cookout for Hope Lodge residents

CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCBD) – On this day of celebrating Independence, we see the spirit of community.

Laurie Thomas, a cancer survivor, returned to Hope Lodge on Thursday afternoon to feed the bellies and the spirits of people undergoing cancer treatment.

Thomas and her husband know Hope Lodge because she was a temporary resident while she was undergoing cancer treatment herself.

While piling pans of hotdogs, baked beans, and coleslaw, the Little River native told News 2 she is grateful for the care she received and hopes to make this day feel like a traditional day of celebrating our nation’s birthday with patients and caregivers at Hope Lodge.

“We noticed that on holidays a lot of times, the donors for meals don’t like to come, because everybody likes to spend time with their personal families. So, we made a decision to come today and do a Fourth of July cookout for the current guests and residents of the Hope Lodge,” she said.

“We live two and a half hours away from here. So, the Hope Lodge, for us, is our home away from home. We absolutely fell in love with this place and immediately wanted to figure out a way to give back and to help others who may be in the same situation that we were in whenever I was going through my treatments,” she continued.

Hope Lodge is located at the corner of Calhoun and Ashley Avenues in downtown Charleston. It provides a free place to stay during treatment so that people diagnosed with cancer can focus on treatment and recovery.