OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – Even with a speech to give, Jeff York's thoughts still send him back to 2015 when he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.
Facing a long stay, alone in Houston, his family back in Oklahoma, fear was always knocking at the door.
"It was a very difficult and dark time," he recalls. "You come up with all the 'what ifs'. What's going to happen with my kids? What's going to happen if I go broke?"
Eight years following that difficult time and York continues to beat the odds, but on this afternoon he's with friends who've survived cancer battles of their own, or who are continuing their fight.
They are guests of a unique brand of lodging.
For the past year, Senior Manager Lesa Foster has helped register more than 1,100 guests who won't pay for their stays.
"We have 34 guest suites," she says. "That translates to 14,000 free nights of lodging."
The Chad Richison Hope Lodge and its staff are here to help offset the cost and worry of paying for hotel rooms while also undergoing medical treatment.
"You could probably be much bigger and still have a waiting list?," we ask.
Foster agrees, "We do have a waiting list and could probably fill a lot more rooms."
It's been a year since Paycom Founder Chad Richison helped open this $17 million facility.
York, also a longtime Paycom executive, helped spearhead the fundraising.
One of the first guests last year, Scott Preston and his wife Monique had to come from Lawton for leukemia treatments.
He credits his stay, and the sense of community he found, with speeding his recovery.
"When you come here you have family," he insists. "The staff is phenomenal. You have a kitchen. It's like a home away from home."
Everyone who stays here has a compelling story to share.
The best outcomes, like Winona Alberty, end their time with the ringing of a bell which also marks the end of their treatment.
It's the kind of checkout that sends a loud message of thanks for the help, and a hope they'll never have to book here again.
For more information about the Hope Lodge go to www.cancer.org.
Great State is sponsored by Oklahoma Proton Center
