UNION, Wash. — It's got Olympic mountain and Hood Canal views. Healthy meals sourced from a garden on the grounds. Places to meditate. A Labyrinth to walk.
And it's all free. A place that welcomes anyone who's heard the words nobody wants to hear: 'You've got cancer'.
"Harmony Hill is a retreat center on Hood Canal. Our mission is to help transform the lives of those affected by cancer,” said Gretchen Schodde, Harmony Hill’s Founder. She’s walked this path herself, she’s a cancer survivor, and one of the first Nurse Practitioners in Washington. She founded Harmony Hill in 1986 - a place for people with cancer, alongside their caregivers, to receive the kind of healing that has nothing to do with treatment schedules and hospital rooms.
“Look at this place, people drive up this hill and they take a breath,” she said, gesturing to the grounds resplendent with flower gardens and framed by peaceful views.
Tim and Heather McLeod are among the thousands who've found solace here - they came to a cancer retreat when Tim was diagnosed with throat cancer.
"We hadn't even really had time to process his diagnosis, because once cancer hits, your life is completely consumed. It wasn't really until being here at Harmony Hill that we were able to sit down and take a breath and just kind of think through it together,” said Heather.
"To arrive here, at this place, that's physically beautiful, that has people that are highly nurturing and just centered on being real, I think for me it was just like I felt immediately known," Tim said.
Connection is important at Harmony Hill. Meals are communal, there are many group activities.
"This is not something you do by yourself,” Schodde emphasized.
Visitors even feel connected to the people who have come here before. Memorials, tokens, pieces of art, and inscribed bricks are all around the grounds. Schodde calls this Sacred Ground and says people sense it.
Tim McLeod’s treatment ended, his last PET scan was clear. And no matter where the path of a visitor to this place may lead, connections remain. And Harmony Hill eases the journey - and makes it a bit more beautiful.
"I feel complete gratitude, and really, honor that we're able to do this work. My heart is with these people,” said Schodde.
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