Finding Strength in Serenity at Saint Luke’s Koontz Center Retreat

Nestled in the rolling fields of Lawrence, Kansas, the Journey of Courage and Hope Retreat offers something medicine alone cannot: space to breathe.  

The getaway was a much-needed reset for Elea, 44, and her husband, Eric, after her metastatic breast cancer diagnosis on the heels of years of hardship.

“We got to do it together,” Eric says. “The things that made us a couple were taken from us by cancer. And she's my favorite person, so it was nice to have something that was just for us that wasn't a doctor's appointment or another scan.”

Hosted by Saint Luke's Hospital Koontz Center for Advanced Breast Cancer, the three-day retreat helps women with metastatic breast cancer and their loved ones step away from monotonous treatment schedules and into a rhythm of renewal. Elea and Eric found their renewal in group discussions, yoga, nature walks, and more.

This was the first time in years they felt seen beyond the diagnosis.

Life unraveled

Elea’s period of trauma began two years before her cancer diagnoses. In 2020, her sister passed away suddenly, an event marked by Elea, eight months pregnant, performing CPR on the living room couch while her young children watched in shock.  

Elea and Eric adopted their niece and nephew as a result. Soon after, Elea’s mother passed away. All the while, they were raising a new baby and Eric was working 60 to 80 hours a week trying to open a new restaurant. The pandemic made life hard enough during this time, but their compounding experiences were crushing.  

On New Year’s Day 2022 in their Boise, Idaho, home, Elea noticed an indentation on her breast. After seeing her doctor, the diagnosis was confirmed: breast cancer. What followed was a blur—six months of chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and six months of radiation.

But by spring 2023, she was declared cancer-free. This was the best news they had heard in years.

A new growth

Elea’s quarterly scan in fall 2023 showed she had developed metastatic (Stage 4) breast cancer. It was tough for her family to come to terms with another diagnosis—this one much worse.

“Lately I've been working with the idea that she's not going to be around as long as we want,” Eric says. “But in between, we're working on living, and we are hoping for another 20-plus years, at least.”

Boise’s local resources were thin, and continuity of care buckled under staff turnover. So, Elea started looking beyond local care, which is how she found the Journey of Courage and Hope Retreat through Saint Luke’s.

The retreat was built for the continuity of care they were seeking—psychology, physical therapy, and the ability to reconnect as a couple. It was just what Elea and Eric needed, so they made the trip to Lawrence, Kansas.

Reframing the grief

On the first night, Elea and Eric attended a campfire led by Janie Metsker and Kristina Ulmer from the Koontz Center. They became friends with another couple, and heard about the exceptional care of Timothy Pluard, MD, director of Saint Luke’s Cancer Institute.

“We were amazed at the level of attention Saint Luke's put into their treatment on so many integrative levels,” Elea says. “They have a dedicated psychologist, who is amazing, and physical therapists all under one umbrella.”

The retreat didn’t erase the cancer or the grief, but it reframed their approach to living. Surrounded by others walking the same path, Elea found strength in shared stories and quiet moments.  

“We had such a beautiful, eventful, meaningful, touching weekend,” she says. “We were so engaged that my cup, spiritually, soulfully, on all levels, was full for the first time in a long time.”

After experiencing the retreat firsthand, Elea decided to have Dr. Pluard become her primary oncologist, despite living more than 1,100 miles away. As Elea knows firsthand, access to this level of care for metastatic breast cancer is life changing.

It feels like the beginning of a new era for Elea and her family and, no matter how much time she has left, she wants to be defined by her strength, not her tragedies.

“We've told this cancer story so much and lived it for so long that we want to find a new story,” she says. “The thing is, you're the storyteller. I feel like a new chapter is starting, that this is the turning point. And I do hope Dr. Pluard and the Koontz Center can be a big part of that.”

About Saint Luke's Hospital Koontz Center for Advanced Breast Cancer

Saint Luke's Hospital Koontz Center for Advanced Breast Cancer is recognized as the first center in the region dedicated exclusively to the comprehensive care of Stage 4 breast cancer, also known as metastatic breast cancer.

Our singular purpose is to improve outcomes for patients with metastatic breast cancer: live longer, while living better.