Projects for Jill's House underway

Monday afternoon Indiana State Rep. Peggy Welch, D-Bloomington, introduced a resolution to the Indiana House of Representatives to solicit support from the far corners of Indiana for additional funding of Jill's House, a temporary, home-like residence for patients undergoing outpatient therapy at the IU Proton Therapy facility. \nHeads turned when the Midwest Proton Raidotherapy Institute was introduced to IU property. One of three centers in the U.S., the progressive treatment uses concentrated proton beams to eliminate malignant tumors near vital organs, especially the brain. The treatment takes one to two hours a day for four to eight weeks and is an outpatient procedure. \nPeg Howard realized the need for a patient living facility as soon as talks began about the MPRI. Battling cancer with her son when he was 18-years-old, Howard understood the demands of outpatient therapy treatment and its taxing effects on families who are forced to survive in hotels for months at a time while loved ones receive treatment. \nTogether with Eric Behrman, Howard and her husband drafted plans for a utopian support home which they named in honor of Jill Behrman, a former student who disappeared in 2000. Police confirmed they found her remains last March. The house will have 20 bedrooms, each with a private bath, a comfort area resembling a family room, a chapel, a playroom with adjacent laundry facilities and office space. \n"We will not have television sets in the bedrooms because we want people to get out and talk together, because that is the greatest healing. Fears diminish with interaction," Howard said. \nHoward said more than $500,000 has already been raised for Jill's House through the Bloomington community, yet with a price tag of $5.1 million and the number of patients steadily increasing, the Board of Directors sought the much-needed support from the entire state.\nJill's House is an independent organization, unlike the Ronald McDonald House or other establishments focused on caring for cancer patients and their families. Without a large organization from which to draw funds, Jill's House is starting from scratch. The state gave MPRI $10 million for the therapy facility, and from that has grown interest in a care center for the families. \n"Taking care of the emotional and spiritual needs are of the greatest importance in the recovery process of cancer patients and the health of their families," Welch said. \nWelch also said the Jill's House team is looking to educate the legislature, garner interest from financial supporters and generate statewide recognition of the organization. \nIn addition to the resolution, Jill's House will be holding a golf tournament in June as well as a 48-hour bike race to continue fundraising for the project. \nBehrman said he looks forward with great anticipation to the day when Jill's House will be hosting families. \n"With Jill's House, we are going to help folks have long lives and maybe even heal them, and when cancer is cured, we can use Jill's house for something else"