RICHMOND, Va. — Kristin Harris dreamed about bringing cancer treatment and care into a resort-like environment outside of the clinical setting.
Then she discovered the historic Blanton House in Richmond’s Byrd Park.
“A recurring theme that kept emerging was outside of the clinical environment because we have so many doctors appointments and we're in the clinical space so often — the idea of a space that was sort of medically neutral would be the most attractive,” Harris, who served as the executive director of Susan G. Komen Central and Eastern Virginia for seven years, explained.
While organizing Relay for Life events, she heard the desire to have that support and care more often than once a year.
In 2021, she founded her nonprofit Cancer Retreat Centers (CRC) to bring free counseling and support groups into a warm and inviting setting.
The nonprofit now leases several rooms of the Blanton House mansion from the Richmond Department of Parks, Recreation, and Community Facilities for nominal rent.
She has since renovated and restored most of the first floor using corporate donations and volunteers while saving Richmond taxpayer dollars.
For decades, the Parks Department used the home for offices.
The 1920s sprawling mansion sits at Grant Street and Blanton Avenue at the edge of Byrd Park across from the city’s reservoir.
In 2022, Richmond Times Dispatch homes correspondent Doug Childers wrote about the Colonial Revival–style home’s elaborate embellishments including “handsome corbelled chimneys” and a “Victorian stained-glass window with a wreath of flowers.”
Harris knows how tough the battle can be for a cancer patient and their families.
Harris cared for her mother who was diagnosed with breast cancer.
She was 25 years old when her mother died.
Then, Harris was diagnosed with stage three breast cancer in 2012.
After nine months of chemotherapy, radiation, and bilateral mastectomy with reconstruction, she was diagnosed with metastatic cancer a few years later.
Metastatic cancer means Harris will receive treatments for the rest of her life.
Sarah Peavey, CRC’s programs assistant and mindfulness instructor, is also impacted by the disease.
In 2017 her husband Alex was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer at the age of 39 without warning.
CRC is not only a place where Peavey helps cancer patients, but her husband and children benefit too.
Her family participates in a Supper Club with others impacted by cancer.
“You can feel confident in the fact that you're here with people that understand and there's no judgment, which has kind of become our unofficial motto. Kristen and I are always repeating that Blanton House is a place full of grace and free of judgment,” Peavey recalled.
Marcie Shea became a CRC patient after she was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer at 30 years old.
She was declared cancer-free six years later only for the disease to return to her lymph system.
Now she not only engages with support groups but conducts lunches and dinners with others who know what she’s going through.
“At this dining table, my family along with another family were able to have dinner together. The other family has kids the same age, and one of the parents has metastatic cancer,” Shea explained. “We were able to just gather around a meal and have conversations — some about cancer, some just about life.”
Chris Frelke, director of the Richmond Parks department, was elated to begin the partnership between the city and nonprofit, which isn’t unique.
He, too, knows what it’s like to lose someone to cancer.
Frelke was 22 years old when his mother was diagnosed with stage four cancer.
The Blanton House and its new renter help like-minded individuals heal and thrive together despite the life-threatening illness.
“Statistics show people in support groups in this types of environments live longer,” Frelke explained. “If we can improve the quality of life, and we can improve that quality of life while you're living, I am happy to be part of that as a director of Parks and Recreation.”
The home sits on the bus line, addressing one of the department's intentions about accessibility for residents.
Frelke’s goal is to introduce a five-year lease to the Richmond City Council by the end of the year so CRC can stay in the space. If the nonprofit chooses to leave, the Parks Department will retain control of the Blanton House and its renovations.
Harris is already looking toward the future with the name of her nonprofit, Cancer Retreat Centers. The Blanton House is the first of many homes she hopes to open in the coming years.
“This is unique in that we are obviously here advocates of any kind of integrative care or mental health support that our patients need. This is just a different model that brings a home-like environment and nature-based settings into that mix,” she stated.
CRC is hosting a Hopefest Fall Festival and 5K Walk at the Blanton House on Saturday, November 9 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Rising country music star Morgan Wade will headline the festival.
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