Dignity Health Mission Hope Cancer Center in Santa Maria has unveiled its modernized Patient Resource Library, a vital resource for cancer patients and their families.
The opening ceremony for the library on April 7, celebrated the fundraising efforts of breast cancer survivor Eileen Hongo, a patient at Mission Hope Cancer Center, and highlighted the importance of cancer patient education and support.
To commemorate Hongo’s efforts, a plaque in her honor was placed at the Patient Resource Library.
Hongo, the Day of Hope 2024 event ambassador, said she saw the need for a patient resource library to provide education and support to patients and their family members.
To help meet that need, Hongo, who is from Guadalupe, began a fundraising campaign, asking her loved ones to cumulatively fundraise to make the Patient Resource Library a reality at Mission Hope Cancer Center.
In total, Hongo’s fundraising reached nearly $40,000, and all donations for the effort were made in her honor.
The Patient Resource Library offers a range of educational materials (in English and Spanish), including books, brochures, and other resources covering various cancer types, treatment modalities, side effect management, and emotional well-being.
The library provides a comfortable environment for patients and their loved ones to research, learn, and connect with valuable information, Dignity Health said.
“I wanted to use my role as a Day of Hope ambassador to make a significant impact,” Hongo said. “What started as a simple book nook grew into a beautiful, welcoming resource center library area.”
The resource library has a coffee station; comfortable new seating; and handcrafted cabinetry, all designed with patients and their families in mind.
“Seeing this space come to life and knowing it will serve others for years to come is incredibly meaningful,” Hongo said.
“Eileen’s dedication and vision have made this library a reality,” said Kathleen Sullivan, Dignity Health Central Coast’s vice president of Post Acute Care Services. “Her commitment to supporting cancer patients is truly inspiring, and this library will serve as a lasting testament to her compassion and advocacy.
“I think it’s so important for for patients to know that the cancer center is just that – it is a safe place where the doctors and the nurses, this entire team of people, work endlessly to make sure that the patients feel safe and that, whatever it is that they’re going through, that they’re being heard,” Sullivan said.
For more, about the resource library, visit missionhopecancercenter.com.
Learn more about Dignity Health Central Coast at dignityhealth.org/centralcoast.