photo by sherri diteman kaven
April • 2024
“There are only four types of people: those who have been caregivers, those who are now caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who will need caregiving themselves.”
— Rosalynn Carter
Each new guest at Teisha’s Place reminds me of Rosalynn’s Carter’s words, and their stories illustrate the difficulty of illness, the resilience of the human spirit, and the awesomeness of an occasional miracle.
Last Thanksgiving we said goodbye to Jim and Vicky, his caregiver, when Jim asked to be discharged from the hospital to return home. At that time it appeared his chemo had failed and his disease was progressing. Added to that, Vicky was feeling the strain of her own health challenges. With the new year came the extraordinary news that Jim had gone into remission and Vicky was also cancer free. Truly a reason to say Happy New Year! As of this writing they are thriving in LaGrande.
Maria and her daughter Bianca went home to Salem on March 28th after a four-month stay at the house. Maria’s transplant wasn’t the cure everyone had hoped for, and she will continue with other treatments. Bianca’s employer found a way to allow her to work remotely during the time Maria was at Teisha’s Place. It was a gift of understanding and accommodation, and a real blessing for this mother and daughter to share an experience like no other.
Not everyone is blessed with an occupation that can be done remotely. If you are self-employed as a dump truck driver and suddenly find yourself a full-time caregiver, you are not available to take jobs. That’s the background story that Doug and Pearl bring with them.
Before the hospital schedules a transplant three things need to be in place: the patient needs to be strong enough for the procedure; have recovery housing within 20 minutes of the hospital; and must have a caregiver available 24/7. For Pearl, this meant her transplant could not be scheduled until we were sure that Teisha’s Place would be available. For Doug, her husband of 15 years, this meant letting his business go to be available for Pearl.
At this moment Pearl is in the hospital waiting for engraftment of her new immune system and Doug has moved into Teisha’s Place so that he doesn’t have to drive back and forth from Eugene. The plan is that Pearl will be ready to join him at the house soon. The day I met him in person, Doug said, “This is a special thing that you do.”
And I don’t do it alone. When Bianca let me know her mom was cleared to go home, I put out the call and on very short notice my favorite care partners and support team showed up to prep, deep clean, and disinfect Teisha’s Place for our next family. In record time Jim Poplack, Kathleen Donnelly, Becky Smith, Roger Martin, Debbie Helgerson (there are two of us!), and Karee Helgerson had the job done. Like most caregivers, their payday is a take-away of fulfillment from caring for something greater than themselves. In this case, they are pleased to know they helped to provide a safe, clean, free space where healing after transplant can begin.
SAVE THE DATES!
June 8, 2024, from 1 – 4 pm at Deb’s Workshop in West Linn. Deb, Teisha’s Mom, is hosting a FUN-raiser for 25 of you wonderful people. This is a chance to hand-dye and appliqué fabric to be made into a quilt for a family staying at Teisha’s Place. No experience necessary! Fabric artist and friend Sandy Moore will be our fun guide. To reserve your space call 503-704-3427 or email TeishaAndFriends@gmail.com. Suggested donation $25.00.
August 4, 2024, at Oswego Hills Winery (details TBA). Our first in-person fundraiser since 2018! Call a friend and save the date. We will have music, dancing, strawberry shortcake, and an auction. Come help us raise some money, call us if you have something for the silent auction (503-704-3427) and THANK YOU for being a friend of Teisha’s Place.
Deb, Teisha’s Mom
The Board: Mo, Gia, Karee, and Allison
TeishasPlace.com
December • 2023
Our lives are made of miracles and heartbreak and Teisha’s Place holds people during both. The house gives them room and space and hope for miracles; and it gives them warmth and comfort when there is nothing else to do.
Having a home away from home during a frightening and stressful time of dealing with cancer treatment gives our guests the gift of peace. They can rest within the walls of Teisha’s Place, without worrying about how they will pay for the accommodations. The house allows them to lay down the burden of financial obligation and makes their load a little lighter – when it truly matters most.
This year we hosted six families.
Nacho stayed through March 17th, and then he and Caitlyn headed back to their kids and their jobs and to pick up their life in The Dalles.
Amanda arrived on March 24th, and after just a few weeks she was cleared to go home to Lebanon.
Dyan from Salem moved in on June 5th to recover from lung cancer treatment. She left for permanent housing on July 12th.
The very next day, July 13th, Andreaska (age 31) arrived from Ashland where she had just started a new teaching job. Her sister Victoria and mom Bonnie traveled from Maine to care for her, and Andreaska was surrounded by love when she died on August 11th of Burkitt’s Lymphoma.
The same virulent form of lymphoma brought us Jim (age 75) and his life partner and caregiver Vicky, who came from Enterprise, OR on October 20th. Teisha’s Place was a huge financial relief for them. They were so grateful to be spared the expense of a hotel – and delighted to be able to have their beloved cat stay with them. Vicky said, “Jim really wanted to stay somewhere he could feel at home. Teisha’s Place is like a miracle for us.” Jim underwent treatment for Burkitt’s Lymphoma, but just before Thanksgiving, feeling very tired of treatment, he chose a new direction. He and Vicky went back to Enterprise to spend his days at home and not in a hospital.
Maria (age 54) is undergoing a stem cell transplant, and daughter Bianca is her primary caregiver. They moved in on December 6th and plan to stay through March 2024, as Maria prepares for and recovers from the procedure.
Miracles and heartbreak are the stuff of life, and we can all connect with how they feel. Moments at Teisha’s Place – both the miracles and the heartbreak – mark people forever.
Andreaska’s mother Bonnie and sister Victoria sent us a beautiful inlaid wooden map of the United States. This wonderful gift came in appreciation for their time at the house. It is a tangible way for us to see the connections the house makes between us, our guests, and the people who love them.
MJ stayed at Teisha’s Place with her husband Richard, and her memories of their time there are still with her. She sent this note from Hawaii:
Deb and all your wonderful board and staff,
I love getting your newsletters and appreciate the time it takes to prepare them. My stay with my darling Richard in the summer of 2016 was the best that it could ever be. Throughout his whole MDS experience, staying at Teisha’s Place was the highlight of our last times together. We were happy, we were safe, and we were being cared for. Thanks again for the miracle of Teisha’s Place, a miracle we will never ever forget.
MJ, Kaneohe, Hawaii
These letters show what we do in a way that a million words could never tell. And we do it – all of us, but especially you. Thank you for sharing your resources of time, energy, and money. You make this possible.
You help us prepare the house for new families, and the gathering of friends turns work into a joy. Our thanks go out to Kathleen Donnelly, Sandra Fry, Hana Fry Patterson, Maureen Colburn, Taz Higgs, Jim Poplack, Roger Martin, Brian Harney, Steve Wicker, Becky Smith, Shelly Caldwell, Michael Card, Paul Pierson (we love our yardman!), Sherri Diteman Kaven for a donation of Saint Olio, the quilters at Peace Lutheran Church, the family of Francis Shaffer for donation of towels, puzzles, and games, and to Julie Smith for the donation of our new lending library.
And in 2023, you made a lot of house maintenance possible! This sweet little bungalow has been as durable as Teisha, as we have laid a lot of living on it these last 12 years with the feet of 41 families walking the floors and their daily lives putting our appliances to good use. Both the floors and the appliances more than exceeded their life expectancy, and the outlay on home maintenance made a serious dent in our cash reserves.
The floors of the house had become very worn, and the danger of splinters was all too real. The main floors were refinished by Interstate Flooring in September, and now look – and feel – marvelous.
In October, the elderly refrigerator/freezer was upgraded with a new undercounter model fridge and the water heater that sprang a leak was replaced.
Many donations are received with special recognition of donations made to honor loved ones. We share them here:
Richard Culveyhouse is remembered by MJ, and Paul and Annalee Leinewebber.
Ned Stafford is remembered by his loving wife Faith.
Penny Kennedy is remembered by her daughter Charis and friend Deb.
Andreaska Jeffcoats is remembered by Steve Morin, her mom Bonnie, and her sister Victoria.
Dell Smith is remembered by friends and family: Nellie Smith, Grant and Cindy Norlin, Sandy and John Baggenstos, Wayne and Toni Curry, Tammie Madson Merina, Alyce and Steven Irving, John Mullen and Ellen Whyte, Pamela and Mike Tokstad, Becky and Bruce Smith, and MJ.
Jacob Smith is remembered by Deb.
Teisha is remembered by all of us.
Watch for some chances in 2024 to gather, eat, listen to music, maybe go bowling. We are planning events and look forward to connecting with you in person.
We wish you a sweet holiday season and a very happy New Year.
Deb, Teisha’s Mom
The Board: Mo Colburn, Gia Bocci, Karee Helgerson, and Allison Picard
October • 2023
When OSHU social workers with the Oncology Department reach out to us it is because there is a special need for housing. Someone young or old has cancer or a tumor or a life-threatening disease. Patients may have completed treatment or are beginning a long journey of recovery from a stem cell or bone marrow transplant.
Whatever their situation, they are in need of safe housing that is close to the hospital. And that's what we provide. Safe, free housing for however long they need to recover and move back home. That is always our hope.
Our guests often remark that it meant the world to them to be able to stay at Teisha's Place, to experience the peace and calm of her house and to feel the lifting of a tremendous financial burden to pay for housing. Can you imagine having to leave your home, and find a second home and a way to pay for it, all while undergoing treatment? Can you imagine leaving your job in order to be a caregiver? These situations are so difficult we almost can’t imagine them – so it is truly unimaginable what families are asked to deal with before, during, and after treatment.
This summer, Teisha’s Place made some great memories for Dyan from Salem, who came to stay on June 5th. Her granddaughter McKenzie was able to visit while Dyan recovered from treatment, and they enjoyed cooking together and sitting on the back deck. Dyan said the house has been “a safe haven in a terrible storm” and she thanked everyone involved for the "miracle of Teisha’s Place."
After moving to permanent housing on July 12th Dyan sent this note: “I want to thank you so very much from the bottom of my heart for letting me stay in your daughter’s wonderful home. I fell in love with this little house, and I hope the next person will too. Thank you again so very much for allowing me this wonderful experience.”
In a lightning-fast turnaround, Andreaska, age 32, moved in on July 13th. Last spring Andreaska came from Maine to southern Oregon to start a new job as a teacher, and then a strange and virulent form of lymphoma struck. Her mom Bonnie took a leave from her job in Maine to be her daughter's caregiver, and Andreaska's sister Victoria came with the intent to be the stem cell donor. Bonnie said the house “really did feel as close to home as we could have hoped for.”
Unfortunately, the disease load became too much to proceed with the treatment, and Andreaska died on August 11th with Bonnie, her father, and family friend Karuna holding her hands. Bonnie wrote this letter to Deb and it is shared with her permission:
As the letter shows, this is what we do and why we do it. And we give thanks to YOU, the heart and soul of Teisha’s Place. It is your friendship, and your donations of money, time, and expertise, that keep the house running so that it can go on making days better and healing possible for people from all places and walks of life. None of this could happen without you, and we are so very grateful.
Deb, Teisha’s mom
The Board: Gia, Mo, Karee, and Allison
