Company Profile
Virginia Thurston Healing Garden Cancer Support Center
Company Overview
The Healing Garden Cancer Support Center is a beautiful facility located in 8 acres of woodlands and gardens. Our cancer care complements medical care and is instrumental in improving quality of life for all those who are affected by cancer. We provide a community of support where clients participate in educational programs and classes, experiential stress-reducing activities and individual therapeutic services to promote resiliency and recovery.Our philosophy is that a holistic approach to health and wellness will afford you the very best chance at great outcomes.
We utilize evidence based best practice in integrative medicine – combining traditional medical care with supportive complementary care – taking advantage of the interrelated functions of the mind and the body as it affects health.
Company History
Ginny and Bill Thurston’s twelve-acre garden property in Harvard, Massachusetts, was well known to townspeople and area gardeners for its beauty, spectacular gardens, and unusual configuration. Ginny found deep pleasure in what she called “my little garden.” When diagnosed with breast cancer in 1993, she spent more time in her garden, as it provided a respite from the rigors of treatment. In addition, Ginny explored and used several complementary therapies to further assist her treatment–acupuncture and oncology massage.
Sadly, Ginny died in 1999. Knowing the garden had been such solace for Ginny and wanting to help others with breast cancer, Bill contacted Betsy Tyson-Smith, a psychotherapist and Ginny’s community hospital support group facilitator, to discuss ways to honor Ginny and offer support for cancer patients.
Betsy envisioned a center providing three service components: complementary therapies, psycho-social support, and the healing environment of nature. Bill and Betsy felt strongly that the cost of services should not be an obstacle to care at the new center. In 2000, Bill donated a portion of his garden and a small cottage on the property to provide a home base for the center. From there, Bill and Betsy launched The Virginia Thurston Healing Garden.
As word of the Garden’s work spread and the number of clients increased, the board initiated a capital campaign in 2006. The Board raised $1 million to pay for renovations to create the current Healing Garden Cancer Support Center. The doors of this beautiful and functional new center opened in October 2008.
Again, growth resulted in further change; in 2012, under the new leadership of the present Executive Director, Margaret Koch, the Healing Garden’s mission expanded to include providing cancer care to men and women, regardless of cancer diagnosis, or financial limitations. Under Margaret’s leadership, collaborations with other non-profits increased, bringing new programs and services to the Healing Garden. As a result, the Healing Garden has become an ever-growing, evolving resource in the cancer community.
Benefits
The Healing Garden Cancer Support Center is located in Harvard, MA just 5 minutes off of RTE 495, accessible in 30 minutes from Lowell and Worcester and 45- 60 minutes from downtown Boston. The facility is located in a beautiful woodland and garden setting, and offers an interior setting that is serene and has views from every direction.