McLean house in Pinehurst allows patients to focus on living

For patient Tim Crowder and his wife Deanna, the house is convenient while Crowder undergoes treatment for small cell lung cancer. It's across from FirstHealth Moore Regional Hospital, and home for them is an hour away in Raeford.

Crowder's been going through radiation and chemotherapy twice a day for the last three weeks, and his wife says it takes all his strength, even without a long daily commute.

"He's weak in between and stuff like that, and I have to work," she said.

Rebecca Ainslie is a registered nurse and the director of the Clara McLean house. She said more than half of the home's patients are like the Crowders and come from outside Moore County.

"We have everything from neonatal intensive care unit families to hospice families and then everything in between," Ainslie said.

The Clara McLean house, founded with donations by its namesake, is like a second home for many. When the Crowders were offered a spot at the Clara McLean House by the hospital, they took it. They said the atmosphere has been a key part in the healing process.

"It's the home environment," Crowder said. "They make you feel real welcome."

The privately funded home offers more than just beds and a shower; they have a music and games room, a library, gardens and a full service kitchen.

"If you like to cook, they'll let you cook, too," Crowder said. "I made homemade chicken and dumplings, meatloaf."

Crowder said the cooking helps take his mind off the cancer, and that's the goal, according to Ainslie. She said McLean understood the need for access to care, which is one of the reasons she opened the facility.

"She enabled us to get a good start in building this house," Ainslie said.