It is such a mixed bag. I would dearly love to not be away from home for extended time. That being said, it sure is convenient when appointments are just across the street. No traffic, no parking and no real planning. When my mother-in-law was receiving treatment in Houston, I got to see another version of this housing which was more like a one bedroom apartment. Here, I would liken it to a hotel room.

Being over an hour away is not the end of the world. My neighbor who lives just a block from us makes this commute every day. In fact, there are a lot of people who do. I would never want that, but my point is that it is not unheard of to live where live and work in Portland.

The hospital’s main point is that this is specialized treatment. Should something go wrong, not having direct access to the care team knowledgeable about the subject is too risky. They are afraid that a local emergency room would not adequately coordinate or even know what to do. Secondarily, there will be follow-up appointments. They really don’t know when they will be so being at the ready is really a convenience for them.

The first picture at the upper left is the room. I feel like this could be any hotel room. There are two queen beds, a TV, desk, chair, refrigerator, microwave and bathroom. What makes this not a hotel is the upper picture to the right. What you are seeing is the communal kitchen. Since we have medical, dietary restrictions this is a must for us. It seems like most of us staying there are in the same boat, but the accommodations are not strictly for cancer patients.

The picture on the upper left is also on the communal floor. It is a little alcove with a desk along the wall. This is where I worked when I would get up in the morning to not disturb the sleeping. Not a bad view and nobody was there anytime I was working. Other people came to the floor for phone calls and such but not consistent working.

It is the upper right that is the kicker. This is looking out the window while my wife is having chemo July 4. What you see is a little park with tents setup because the craft brew festival is happening. Staying at the family housing not alcohol is allowed. But, right across the street a three day beer festival was happening. I could have gone but it was $50 and 100 degrees, so I decided to keep my money, But what an opportunity,

End Your Programming Routine: There is some give and take. I am not so far from home that I couldn’t go if I needed something. It is just inconvenient enough that I really think twice about running back and forth. In retrospect, this is a better setup than the RV would have been and the last four really hot days probably would have been miserable. It all worked out for a reason.