By Gwen Sour
For The Parkersburg News and Sentinel
Parkersburg — Patients receiving cancer treatment at WVU Medicine Camden Clark will receive blankets and messages of encouragement through an annual partnership with Louis Thomas Subaru.
Representatives of the Parkersburg dealership presented 80 blankets and messages of hope Thursday at Camden Clark’s Medical Office Building B. It marked the tenth consecutive year Camden Clark and Louis Thomas Subaru have partnered locally through the Subaru Loves to Care program, according to a hospital release.
The national initiative brings together Subaru, participating retailers, hospitals and Blood Cancer United, formerly known as The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, to support people affected by cancer.
Lou Thomas of Louis Thomas Subaru said the dealership has participated in the program for about a decade. The effort provides blankets and care kits intended to help patients remain comfortable and occupied while undergoing chemotherapy.
Care kits can include books, fuzzy socks, colored pencils, a pencil sharpener, a collapsible water bottle and a heart-shaped stress reliever. Some items can also help occupy children who accompany patients during treatment, Thomas said.
“It’s a very, very worthwhile cause,” Thomas said.
Encouraging messages distributed with the donations were written by the dealership’s customers and employees. Thomas said a board containing message cards and clips is placed in the dealership’s showroom, allowing visitors to leave notes wishing patients good luck or a quick recovery.
Thomas said the dealership sometimes receives cards from patients who were given blankets during treatment.
“That means a ton because every year we’ll get a few messages from people,” Thomas said. “They’ll send a note or a card and say, ‘Hey, I was at the hospital. I got a blanket that you provided. Thank you.’”
Lauren Gillian, Camden Clark’s director of cancer services, said the donations give staff another way to support patients beyond providing medical treatment, reviewing laboratory results and filling prescriptions.
Gillian said some patients continue bringing blankets or pillows received through the program to later appointments, including maintenance therapy visits.
“They know that’s ‘my blanket I’m going to use during my treatment,’ and they bring it with them,” Gillian said. “It’s just part of their routine when they’re coming to the cancer center.”
Gillian said she hopes the gifts remind patients that support extends beyond the people involved in their appointments.
“There are people invested in this community, into our organization and the services we provide here to show that we’re standing with patients in their cancer journey,” she said.
People interested in supporting cancer patients may contact Gillian through the cancer center, she said.
Read more from The Parkersburg News and Sentinel, here.
The post Louis Thomas Subaru donates 80 blankets to WVU Medicine Camden Clark cancer patients appeared first on West Virginia Press Association.
