One day, a young breast cancer patient entered the office of Kelly Sullivan, M.D., a plastic and reconstructive surgeon with a special interest in cancer reconstruction, for a consult. She had her three young children, ages 6, 8 and 10, in tow and she looked exhausted. Her 6-year-old daughter gazed up at Dr. Sullivan and asked, “If my Mommy goes in to the hospital again, will she die?” The little girl’s mom very gently took her young daughter in her arms and explained that she was sick but was getting treatment and would get better. She then turned and asked Dr. Sullivan if she had any other cancer patients with young children that her kids could talk to so they wouldn’t feel so frightened and alone.

Unfortunately, Dr. Sullivan had many.

During their visit, the family shared with Dr. Sullivan all that they had had to endure since the mom had been diagnosed with cancer. Dr. Sullivan began to think about what she could do to offer her patients support and, on a much larger scale, what the Annapolis community could offer cancer patients and their families during the difficult treatment phase. Cancer patients deal not only with an emotionally and physically exhausting diagnosis, but treatments often lasting for months. Patients are frequently unable to work. Some lose their jobs and insurance coverage as a result of their diagnosis. Patients with young children at home face an even more difficult task of being physically unable to care for their children at the same time that they are struggling to help their children to cope with the fact that mommy or daddy is sick.

Dr. Sullivan decided to do more to help these struggling families. She began to research centers in other communities that provide a comforting place where cancer patients and their families could go, outside of the medical community, to relax, talk, and play. While many cities and communities offer such needed support, unfortunately, Annapolis did not have such a place. With the help of the Annapolis Rotary Club, they founded Wellness House of Annapolis in 2007.

Through the incredible generosity of Janet Richardson-Pearson, Annapolis Wellness House opened our doors in June 2009 in an picturesque historic farmhouse on Mas Que Farm, adjacent to the Chesapeake Dressage Institute.