Guest Spotlight
Dean and Patti Ponimoi
"Any cancer diagnosis can turn anyone’s world upside down. That is exactly what it did to our world when Dean was diagnosed in January of 2024. Devastating enough as it was to hear cancer, this is also a very rare cancer, with not much of these cases seen in Hawaii. After his body stopped responding to chemo and target therapy taking a toll, we decided to explore our options outside of Hawaii. MD Anderson was our only hope at getting a better understanding of our options and a higher level of medical attention for Dean.
God provided and we finally got an appointment at MD Anderson. Now, we just had to find a place to stay that would be the least amount of stress on Dean’s body as we make our trek from Hawaii to Texas. A colleague and very good friend, Janelle Moffett, said, “I have the perfect place for you, the Ballard House.” I called and spoke with Dottie but unfortunately for the dates we needed, there was no space available. We searched online and kept trusting that God had a place for us. The day before we had to cancel hotel reservations without penalty, we got a call from the Ballard House asking us if we still needed a place to stay because a room had opened for those dates. YES ABSOLUTELY! God is so faithful!
From the moment we walked in, we knew we were in the right place. The warmth we felt was inviting and comforting. It felt like home away from home from the start. Not only is the home aesthetically beautiful, but the staff, volunteers, and guests are even more beautiful! Our initial visit was supposed to be for a week but got extended to two weeks to give the doctors more time to assess Dean and give us a proper treatment plan. We returned home for one week before Dean began his first month long treatments. Our children and family were concerned about us being away and the toll that it would take on Dean being away from home for so long. We could not stop talking about how wonderful the Ballard House has been. We kept sending them pictures and daily updates on everything about the Ballard House. The bonds made with other guests have been immeasurable. We have made so many new friendships with guests and have shared stories, laughs, and tears, and we’ve prayed for one another. The Ballard House staff, volunteers, and guests have become our family away from home. God knew exactly what He was doing when He brought us here.
We’ve talked about the Ballard House so much that our children were no longer worried but excited to come see it for themselves. Two of our daughters made their way to Texas to spend time with Dean an got to experience the Ballard House family firsthand. They could not stop talking about how being here gave them so much peace about how Dean was doing away from home and where he was staying. Believe it or not, our one daughter that stayed at the Ballard House with us had a hard time leaving. That speaks volumes for the Ballard House and what they do for their guests. There are no words to express our gratitude for the Ballard House. The provisions are top notch; everything you could need and more when you’re away from home. The peace and tranquility of the Ballard House is just what anyone going through treatment needs and the comfort and accessibility of everything provided is above and beyond what we could’ve imagined. God is doing something great here and we are so blessed to bear witness to it all.”
-Patti
| 
