For cancer patients already overwhelmed by treatments, fatigue, and recovery, the task of keeping a clean home can feel insurmountable — but a nonprofit called Cleaning for a Reason offers relief through free and discounted housecleaning services, thanks to a network of more than 1,400 cleaning companies across the U.S. and Canada.

Among the many businesses participating in this effort is Jeannie Cleaning, a Kalamazoo-based company serving Kalamazoo and Kent counties, which provides cancer patients with two free monthly home cleanings followed by discounted services for up to six months.

“Last year we served 29 patients and this year we’re on track to serve 50 patients between our two locations,” says Jeannie Henderson, owner and CEO of the company.

“The treatments make a lot of fatigue, so it’s really helpful that I have a cleaning service come. I like to have my house organized; it gives peace of mind. It adds to my sense of well-being, sense of normalcy.” — Nirodha Weerapura of Portage

Jeannie Cleaning opened in December 2015, and it became a Cleaning for a Reason partner in 2017.

“One of the first patients we served was my mother in 2017, and so it’s always been near and dear to my heart because I have so many people I love who have gone through this,” says Henderson.

“My husband is battling cancer,” she says, “and so I know firsthand what it feels like to have my house cleaned when I’m overwhelmed by the millions of things that you have to do just to keep a house running and to take care of someone you love and keep a business running.”

Nirodha Weerapura of Portage, who learned in May 2024 that she had breast cancer that had metastasized to other parts of her body, recently participated in Cleaning for a Reason. Weerapura received two free cleanings from Jeannie Cleaning, continued for six months with a discounted rate, and now regularly uses the service.

Her first cleaning occurred when she was away for a treatment. “It was so nice to come after a hospital stay and walk in, and the house was clean,” she says. “They even left me a note wishing me good luck for my treatment. They’re so kind.”

Weerapura is the mother of two sons and two daughters, all grown, and is employed as a quality-control analyst/chemist for BASF in Battle Creek.

“The treatments make a lot of fatigue, so it’s really helpful that I have a cleaning service come,” she says. “I like to have my house organized; it gives peace of mind. It adds to my sense of well-being, sense of normalcy. Cancer is not dominating me. I used to be very active; now it’s really hard for me to even go up and down the stairs because everything hurts. So if I had to clean on top of it, that would add to the burden.”

Since becoming a Cleaning for a Reason partner in 2017, Jeannie Cleaning has served almost 180 patients and donated cleanings valued at about $69,000. The company has also raised more than $32,000 for the cause through community events and fundraisers. To donate to support the program locally, click here.

There are few geographic limits on who can use Cleaning for a Reason.

“The really beautiful thing about the program is that if you care about someone completely on the other side of the country, you can connect them with Cleaning for a Reason, and they will help find a cleaning business in their area who donates services,” says Henderson.

Since its founding in 2006, Cleaning for a Reason has served over 60,000 cancer patients and donated more than $21 million in services. To continue the program, the organization relies mainly on donors.

Jeannie Henderson is a lifelong resident of Kalamazoo. She and her husband, Terry, had a long career in the restaurant business before switching to the cleaning service. In 1981, they opened the first Little Caesars Pizza in Kalamazoo County. In the following decades, they operated more than 30 franchised restaurants in western Michigan, including The Wine Loft in downtown Kalamazoo. Jeannie Cleaning in Kalamazoo will have its 10th anniversary in December, and the Grand Rapids branch opened last December.

Applications for free cleanings can be made at www.cleaningforareason.org.

Original Source: https://rapidgrowthmedia.com/kalamazoo-cleaning-company-helps-lift-burdens-for-cancer-patients/