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Yellow Brick Place seeks site for cancer wellness center
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Donna Detwiler, left, and Anna Aey are both cancer survivors who met in 2010 at the Athena Awards banquet. Shortly thereafter, they founded Yellow Brick Place, a nonprofit organization where cancer survivors and their loved ones have access to a variety of support services.
By Elise Franco
AUSTINTOWN
The women behind Yellow Brick Place say the need for a cancer wellness center in the Mahoning Valley is overwhelming.
Donna Detwiler and Anna Aey are both cancer survivors who met in 2010 at the Athena Awards banquet. Shortly thereafter, they founded Yellow Brick Place, a nonprofit organization where cancer survivors and their loved ones have access to a variety of support services.
“Donna was nominated for the Athena Award, and I was there at the banquet,” said Aey, of Canfield. “I heard that she was planning to set something up to help cancer survivors, and so we joined forces.”
Detwiler, of North Lima, said she wanted to create something that would expand the services community members had access to.
“The intent of the organization is to help these people along in their journey by giving them comfort and support,” Detwiler said. “It’s really anything we can do to ease that crisis situation.”
Aey said they’re not partnering with any specific hospital systems but want to provide the types of services patients and caregivers might not receive while undergoing medical treatment.
“This will be the support that compliments the medicine, so we’ll offer counseling services, a centralized place for support groups and a resource library,” she said. “It’s going to be the kind of place where you walk through the door, and no one will ask, ‘Are you OK?’ Because everyone there will understand what you’re going through.”
Detwiler, who was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2003, and Aey, who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in 2005, both received medical treatment in Cleveland and frequented a cancer wellness center in that area.
They agreed that they benefited from the center but wished there had been one closer to home.
“I had four young children while I was going through my treatment, and going to Cleveland was just too far,” Aey said. “Most major cities have these types of places, and in this area, we know there’s definitely a need.”
The organization has been an active nonprofit since 2011, and though it doesn’t yet have a physical base for operations, Det-wiler said it has provided personal support services to more than 20 families.
“The response, so far, has been phenomenal and humbling,” she said. “We’ve been contacted by referrals from The Cleveland Clinic. People are reaching out, and that’s why we need to open.”
Detwiler said the board of directors is in negotiations for a physical location and plans to open the center’s doors during the first quarter of 2015.
As a part of the ongoing fundraising effort for the organization, Yellow Brick Place is hosting Color vs. Cancer, a 5K Color Run/Walk on Sept. 21 at Austintown Township Park, 6000 Kirk Road, Austintown. Those interested can visit www.yellowbrickplace.org for additional information or to register for the event.
“It’s so important to have a physical place where people can come and experience that calming environment throughout their cancer journey,” she said. “And with that, they’ll be provided with good educational materials, because being educated about your cancer and your options is a part of that fight.”
Both women agree that they often view their cancer diagnoses as blessings in disguise because it led them to each another and to Yellow Brick Place.
“It’s strange to say because, even though cancer is horrible, there have been so many blessings that have come with it,” Detwiler said.