Cancer patients rallying to support cash-strapped HopeSpring centre

Cancer patients in Waterloo region are rallying around a local support centre after hearing it needs more than $400,000 to remain open.

Earlier this year, HopeSpring in Kitchener announced its intention to cease operations in March due to a lack of funds.

• HopeSpring Cancer Centre to close over funding shortfall

But when the board was approached by a group of concerned clients, it decided to put its plans on hold and look for potential donors.

"We have an immediate crisis," said board chair Valerie Beyer, "and we need an infusion of donations for programming and services that will carry us beyond this immediate crisis."

It was like being punched in the gut. I thought, 'No. You can't take this away.' I just couldn't imagine a future without that support, because it's so crucial to my healing right now.- JohannaJamnik, client

In addition to the $400,000, she said the board is looking for financial commitments that will carry the organization through the next four to five years.

"That's what we were stressing to the people that we were meeting with and the people that we've talked with is that every little bit helps, and we're looking for their ideas, we're looking for their suggestions, we're looking for their offers of support."

• LISTEN to how HopeSpring's uncertain future is affecting clients

She said the board would have to make a decision about HopeSpring's future by the end of March, which is when the organization has decided to leave its current location at 16 Andrew Street.

CBC News visited HopeSpring to find out how the centre's uncertain existence was affecting the men and women who benefit from its free counselling services and recreation programs.

Sylvie Lovell

"I was in utter disbelief. Absolute disbelief that such a critical service in this community could possibly be closing its doors. I immediately thought about what are all the people going to do that have recent diagnoses? Where are they going to go? Where are they going to go for wigs? Where are they going to go for any type of counselling?

"I was just so saddened -- just absolutely crushed thinking about other people and where are they going to go and what are they going to do? How are they going to get through this on their own?"

Brad Clark

"Each of our gatherings after the announcement, we spent the first half hour or so just sharing our shock and our sadness about the possibility of its closure. Then, after that, people started to talk about, well, what can happen? How can we keep it going?

"The problem with a lot of us who use the services is we don't have the energy to do the stuff that probably needs to be done to get the funding and things like that. But we can talk to people and just tell them how important it's been and I hope will continue to be."

Cindy Wulff

"Everyone's very upset in our group about not having not having this carry on, because a lot of people don't have a lot of extra support and it's a different kind of support we get here than we get from family and friends and the medical system. So, we're hoping that this can keep going.

"We were all in shock when we heard the news and we really will do everything in our power that we can do, and we hope the community can help us out with this."

Johanna Jamnik

"It was like being punched in the gut. I thought, 'No. You can't take this away.' I just couldn't imagine a future without that support, because it's so crucial to my healing right now.

"You know, there aren't a lot of places or a lot of people that want to listen to you. It takes fellow cancer patients to understand the things you're going through and it takes people like the staff at HopeSpring and the volunteers that get it. So, to me, HopeSpring is just as important as the Waterloo region cancer centre. If you're going to have one in the community, I think you need the other as well."