On Tuesday, February 9, Glenn and Sherry Beach from Baxley, Ga., presented
a donation of $1,163 to the Southeast Georgia Health System Foundation
to benefit the Nunnally House. Married for 32 years, the Beaches were
residents of Nunnally House during Glenn’s cancer treatments for
an extremely
rare sinus cancer.
After surgery to remove a baseball-sized tumor from behind Beach’s
left eye at Memorial Hospital in Savannah, Ga., his surgeon recommended
Southeast Georgia Health System Cancer Care Center for post-surgical treatment.
During Beach’s nine weeks of chemotherapy, radiation
and
CyberKnife® treatments between July and September 2015, the Beaches
called Nunnally House home.
They could have chosen to stay with Sherry’s nephew and Southeast
Georgia Health System physician Larry B. Dyal Jr., DPM, but they decided
to stay at Nunnally House based on the location and convenience to care.
The Beaches were inspired by Brother Travis Peavy to share their cancer
journey at local churches through the spoken word and song. Raised in
a single day, the $1,163 donation came from parishioners of Woodlawn Baptist
Church, Baxley, Ga. Since then, other local parishes have requested that
the Beaches share their story.
“While we believe that our faith got us through this, and will continue
to do so, the Nunnally House was a true blessing for us during that time,”
says Mr. Beach. “Telling our story, spreading the word about Nunnally
House and making donations is how we feel we can best repay the Health
System for the tremendous gift we received.”
The Beaches also made a personal donation prior to their departure from
Nunnally House.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the generous donations that
the Beaches and the Woodlawn Baptist Church made to Nunnally House,”
says Bryan Thompson, development coordinator, Nunnally House, Southeast
Georgia Health System Foundation. “A donation from the Nunnally
family made Nunnally House possible, and every donation received thereafter
has allowed us to continue to offer this safe haven to our patients and
their families.”
Since treatment, the Beaches stayed at Nunnally House when in Brunswick
for follow up care. Glenn is currently in remission, and the Beaches plan
to continue to tell their story at local churches and hope to raise additional
donations for Nunnally House.
The Nunnally House is a 40-room residential facility located adjacent
to the Brunswick Campus. It offers home-like lodging to family members
of critically ill patients and cancer patients who live outside of Glynn
County. There are also rooms for on-call medical staff and medical students.
Each room is comfortably furnished and a communal lobby offers welcoming
sitting areas with a fireplace and tables for games. The residential grounds
are landscaped with a bricked patio, walkways and benches beneath Live
Oak trees.