History
For thousands of men, women and children, the terror of fighting cancer, sustaining a heart attack, suffering a stroke, or enduring any unexpected medical emergency is a grim reality every day. Not only does the patient encounter pain and uncertainty, but the family members supporting and caring for their loved ones also face hardship, fear and uncertainty. Many family members must stay close to their loved ones while they are receiving treatment. While many cannot afford to stay in a hotel or do not have friends nearby, they are forced to sleep in hospital chairs, on the floor, or even in their cars. This was a frequent reality for many western North Carolinians and for travelers passing through the area for many years. One woman saw this need, and through her unbelievable vision and determination, she changed the circumstances of many patients and their families.
Adelaide Daniels Key is an accomplished businesswoman. For twenty years, she lived in Macon County, raised her family, and was the co-owner of The Mountaineer newspaper in Waynesville, NC. Adelaide is a cancer survivor who knows first-hand the struggle that cancer patients and their families face when coming into Asheville for cancer treatments. Having to make a trek every day to receive treatment in Asheville, driving early in the morning and late at night was exhausting. "I've watched so many patients coming back and forth. I just wanted to do something to help alleviate the problem," Adelaide said in a 1990 interview with The Mountaineer. A hospitality house would give people a nurturing and supportive place to stay, as well as minimizing if not eliminating the loneliness and anxiety of having a loved one in the hospital. The much needed help for these patients and their families began in April 1990.
Adelaide felt strongly that a hospital hospitality house, much like a Ronald McDonald House, would be a valuable asset for Western North Carolina. Such houses already existed in Durham, Charlotte, Wilmington, Fayetteville and Chapel Hill, but no such service was available in western North Carolina. Adelaide began the journey by sending over 1,000 surveys to doctors throughout western North Carolina to see if they felt a need existed for a hospital hospitality house: somewhere patients or their families could stay while receiving treatment in Asheville. There was an overwhelming forty-percent response to the survey, voicing support for a hospitality house. The original concept was to open the hospitality house to cancer patients, but upon receiving feedback from the medical community, many felt that patients suffering from a number of illnesses, be it heart trouble or stroke, for example, could benefit from the house. Adelaide also contacted the major medical facilities in the Asheville area, including Mission Hospital, St. Joseph's Hospital, and Thoms Rehabilitation Center, and received support and endorsement from each.
Once the community gave the hospitality house idea full support, Adelaide went full steam ahead with her mission. She brought together a Board of Directors of individuals in the community representing such professions as medicine, business, law and education. Together, they began a capital campaign drive to raise $3 million to buy land, build the house, furnish the house, and have a first-year operating income. Adelaide and the Board spent countless hours making presentations to civic groups, rotary clubs, church groups, and hosting various fundraisers such as cocktail receptions, picnics on the property, and video presentations. Area businesses, corporations, hospitals, doctors and others in the health field donated to the campaign. Foundations like the Kate B. Reynolds Foundation supplied matching grants for the campaign.
An 18-acre tract of land was purchased in the Kenilworth section of Asheville, just a short three-minute drive from the hospitals. On March 26, 1993, a formal groundbreaking ceremony for the center took place, and on September 12, 1994, the Lewis Rathbun Center became a reality, and opened its arms and heart to thousands of people from all areas and all walks of life. Volunteers were assembled and trained. Adelaide and her supporters continue to raise awareness in the community and raise funds for the Center.
Adelaide Key had a vision, and was driven to see it through. The "House With A Heart" was truly a labor of love. As of today, thousands of families, patients, and friends have experienced the warmth, love and comfort of the Lewis Rathbun Center.
(from Lewis Rathbun Center Fact Book, prepared by Hilary Tweed)
