At the front of the dining area in the Joseph S. & Jeannette M. Silber Hope Lodge in Cleveland, LB Quincy Williams led a bingo game, excitedly announcing each number to the room filled with patients. Throughout multiples games, Williams made the patients laugh with different jokes and handed out Cleveland Browns themed blanked to each of the winners.
T Spencer Fano, LB Winston Reid and G Zak Zinter joined in with bingo cards of their own and talked to different patients throughout the games.
The games of bingo, along with a tour of the facility and dinner served by the players, encompassed the Browns' visit to the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge on Oct. 6. The event supported the long-standing partnership between the Browns and the American Cancer Society. Each of the players took photos and signed autographs for the patients, and members of Stripes United — a group comprised of players and coaches' wives and girlfriends — also attended to help with the dinner and play bingo.
"It gives (the patients) something to look forward to," Assistant General Manager of the Joseph S. & Jeannette M. Silber Hope Lodge in Cleveland Christopher Pawlowski said. "It gives them a point of reference to say, 'Hey somebody cares about us' and puts that little smile on their face at the end of the day."
ACS Hope Lodge communities, which offer patients battling cancer a home away from home when treatment options are far away, are managed and run by the American Cancer Society (ACS). There are 31 ACS Hope Lodge locations across the United States and Puerto Rico, offering over 1,100 rooms free of charge to patients. The Cleveland location opened in 1995 and provides a free place to stay for patients and caregivers in the area.
Visiting the ACS Hope Lodge has a personal meaning for Williams, who lost his mother to breast cancer in 2010 and serves as a spokesperson for the ACS.
"It's one of those near and dear things to me," Williams said. "When October comes, I'm always looking for a way to get out to the city. I'm always looking for ways to spread the news about early screenings for cancer."
Reid also lost his mother to breast cancer when he was 13 years old, sparking his motivation to give back to the community and advocate for early cancer detection. During the event, Reid went to multiple tables of patients and caregivers to talk about everyday life.
"It's awesome," Reid said of the visit. "What they're going through, they're going through a lot, so just helping brighten their day."
Bonnie Bejzak, a patient at ACS Hope Lodge with leukemia, explained that battling cancer can be an isolating experience. Many times, patients are separated from crowds because of their weakened immune systems, preventing them from everyday social interactions. For Bejzak and many of the ACS Hope Lodge patients, the Browns visiting was more than a fun dinner with a game of bingo at the end — it was an impactful event with outside social interaction that they might not routinely get.
Bejzak, who lives in Poland, Ohio, relies on the ACS Hope Lodge when she travels to Cleveland for a week once a month as she undergoes treatment.
"I'm happy to be alive, and thank God," Bejzak said. "Really, really lucky to still be alive."
On the day of the event, Bejzak met another patient staying at the ACS Hope Lodge, Elizabeth Smith, in the lobby of the cancer center. Smith is a registered nurse in Charleston, W.Va., diagnosed with small cell lung cancer — a fast-growing cancer, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Like Bejzak, Smith has relied on the ACS Hope Lodge for housing while receiving treatment in Cleveland.
"I feel thankful to God," Smith said. "This is such a beautiful facility, and the employees are absolutely amazing."
Greg Talese, who lives outside Canton, Ohio, is currently undergoing proton therapy treatment that lasts around six weeks. For the first four weeks, he was driving around three hours every day, so he decided to stay at the ACS Hope Lodge for the final two weeks.
"It's been super convenient for me to be able to walk over to the hospital, get the treatment, and then continue my day with work," Talese said. "I'm working full time, so I can go in for an 8 o'clock, get there at 7:30. I get the first treatment at 8 and I'm back moving on with my day, and I don't have three hours of driving."
In addition to the visit, the month began with the Browns sponsoring the American Cancer Society Discovery Ball to ensure 220 nights of free stay for families can be made possible at Hope Lodge.
The Browns participate in Crucial Catch, a league-wide campaign that addresses early cancer detection and risk reduction efforts. The goal of the campaign is to increase the impact in both of those areas for all cancers. During the month of October, the Browns will celebrate both cancer patients and their caregivers, including when they host their Crucial Catch game on Oct. 18 against the Ravens.
"We kicked off Crucial Catch awareness month by joining the American Cancer Society in support of Hope Lodge," Browns Vice President of Community Relations Jenner Tekancic said. "And throughout the entire month, we will be engaged throughout the community to advocate for survivors, to help create awareness for cancer and how it impacts families, and what we can all do to support the cause."
