Featured Family – Edward and Dawn

Mission Moment

Dawn and Edward have been married for 35 years and are each other’s cheerleaders. No matter the feat, they stand side-by-side as a team. When Edward noticed a lump in his groin area, he thought nothing of it. When it grew to the size of a grapefruit in four weeks and caused him pain and mobility problems, he and Dawn knew something wasn’t right. With the next available in-person appointment months away, Dawn scheduled a telemedicine conference to learn more about what could be causing Edward’s concerning health issue.

“The telemedicine doctor convinced us to go to the emergency room and to tell the nurses what’s been going on,” Edward said. “She told us I needed a CT scan and blood work, but that the ER nurses weren’t going to do it based on our word. She wrote down some notes and told us to print them out and take them with us to the ER, and it worked.” Edward was diagnosed with Lymphoma, and the couple began looking at treatment options.

After learning that the only facility in their health care network was the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, they came to Houston and immediately began treatment.

Edward and Dawn were blindsided. Everything happened so quickly that they felt as if they could barely keep up. With only their carry-on luggage, Edward and Dawn bounced around various extended-stay hotels in Houston during the first months of treatment.

The couple needed a short-term, fully furnished, affordable place to stay. Their tireless search came to an end when they found Halo House. Once their application was approved and their move-in date set, Edward and Dawn felt like a burden was lifted off their shoulders. They finally found a place they could call their “home away from home” without the financial stress. The short-term lease including all utilities was exactly what they needed because if their circumstances change, they can move out of their apartment and get a refund, unlike other apartments where you are bound to the lease and often penalized for early lease termination.

Everything they needed was at Halo House, and they felt like they could finally breathe. Halo House helped Dawn and Edward take back control of their situation and made their transition easy. “We feel so lucky to have found this place,” Dawn Explained. “It’s everything we could have asked for and we’re really grateful.”