HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) — Representatives from Bob Wade Subaru in Harrisonburg dropped off 80 blankets and 50 care packages filled with a small pillow, water bottle, stress ball, ice pack, and other comfort items. The annual delivery is part of the partnership between the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and the Subaru Loves to Care initiative.

According to a release, more than 200 patients receive treatment each day at the Sentara RMH Hahn Cancer Center. Cancer radiation treatments typically take around 30 minutes to complete. Chemotherapy sessions, however, are much longer. They can last from one hour up to eight hours. Blankets and comfort items are a great resource to ease some of the patients’ discomfort.

“It means a lot for the patients to get these items of comfort. Physically, it makes them feel better when they are in the (treatment) chairs,” says Amber Minnick, medical oncology and infusion nurse supervisor at Sentara RMH Hahn Cancer Center. “So, having the comfortable blankets makes them feel a little more cozy while receiving treatment.”

Bob Wade Subaru also donated $2500 to the LLS Urgent Need Pediatric and Young Adult Program. This program helps offset non-medical costs associated with treatment such as
transportation, food, housing, and utilities.

“The community supports us. The small donation that we give with the blankets and patient care kits, it means the world to us,” says Kevin Knott, sales manager at Bob Wade Subaru. “We enjoy doing this each and every year. We want to keep them as comfortable as possible because it is a tough time for them and the procedures they have to go through.”

Knott says seeing the patients’ faces in the waiting area, when delivering the boxes of blankets and care items, adds meaning to his organization’s community support.

“Unfortunately, when we came in, we did see a lot of people. But fortunately, they are in great hands,” says Knott. “The people that run this department and the Hahn Cancer Center are amazing people. So, for us to be able to give just a little bit of comfort to the discomfort that the patients have when they are here, it’s amazing for us.”

Minnick agrees, sharing that donations like this give the patients a sense of support from the community.

“They know that they’re not alone,” says Minnick. “Hope is very important to these patients and knowing that there’s people out there that are cheering for them and in their corner. It gives them a lot of hope. And it’s nice to see them feel that support.”

This is the 10th year that Subaru of America has partnered with LLS through the Loves to Care program. The two organizations said they are committed to positively impacting the communities where they live and work, have partnered to send hope, love, and warmth to patients facing cancer.