Cancer Patient Prefers RV Life to Commuting

With football season over and most Buckeyes headed to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl, one lone RV remains in Ohio State University’s West Campus parking lot. The 2005 Mandalay Presidio is not a lost tailgater; it is home away from home for Erik and Cheryl Johnson of LaRue, Ohio.

A cancer patient, Mrs. Johnson is undergoing hyperbaric oxygen therapy at the OSU Medical Center. Rather than add an exhausting three-hour round-trip drive from their northeast Ohio home to the hospital every day, the Johnson’s drive their RV to Columbus on Monday mornings and camp out at OSU for the week. They return home on the weekends to be with family and check on their landscape business.

With a comfortable queen-sized bed, full bath, kitchen, washer and dryer and other amenities, the Johnson’s find living in their 39-foot RV much more comfortable — and affordable — than staying in a hotel for the four weeks Mrs. Johnson must undergo treatments. A special comfort has been the ability to bring along their 11-year-old Rottweiler, Daisy, the couple’s constant companion.

Finding affordable lodging for often lengthy treatment is a common problem for cancer patients and their families, many of whom travel from distant cities or even far-away states for cutting-edge procedures. The Johnsons may have discovered a solution that could help other families. The veteran RVers didn’t have to leave home for Mrs. Johnson’s medical treatments; they brought their RV home with them.