Mary’s Place by the Sea Offers Free Retreat and Respite for Women With Cancer

For women with cancer, Mary’s Place by the Sea in Ocean Grove at the New Jersey shore offers an opportunity for retreat and respite during or after their cancer journey.

What was started in 2009 by founder and executive director Michele Gannon with two rented rooms in a bed-and-breakfast has grown into a whole welcoming home complete with a spa and a plant-based kitchen among other amenities. It’s a welcoming and tranquil space, awash with refreshing natural light, with the capacity for eight overnight guests and eight day guests, with women with cancer and their female caregivers traveling from across the country to attend the retreat.

“The intention throughout the house is very calming, peaceful, clutter-free,” said director of programs Eleanor Schoenberger during a recent CURE visit to Mary’s Place by the Sea. “Clutter-free space, clutter-free mind.”

The 10-bedroom facility, located two blocks from the beach and boardwalk, offers two-night retreats, day retreats and virtual sessions with all services, private accommodations and meals provided at no cost. They have served more than 16,000 women with cancer and approximately 1,000 women in-house and 5, virtually each year. Guests are welcome up to two years post treatment, and virtual services are available to women at any point in their cancer journey.

Services include counseling, meditation, health coaching, oncology massage, writing, reflexology, prayer, reiki, yoga and more. Alison Ankiewicz, a cancer survivor as well as owner and founder of Inner Dynamics Physical Therapy Pelvic Health and Wellness Center in Ocean Township, New Jersey, provided further on Mary’s Place’s resources as vice chair of the board for the retreat center.

“What we do is educate the women here at Mary’s Place to let them know what services are there, such as pelvic health, physical therapy,” said Ankiewicz. “For the guests that come, we will educate them, and we also, through their virtual programs, will run educational programs in discussing what pelvic health has for them as cancer survivors or in dealing with cancer. We’ll have some educational programs regarding sexuality, bladder issues and bowel issues.”

Kelly Dyckman of Haven for Healing Psychotherapy in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, expanded on the offerings of Mary’s Place.

“Mary's Place is a wealth of resources and a wealth of services,” said Dyckman. “I generally provide individual therapy services for guests who come into Mary’s Place, and in meeting with those guests and really understanding their experiences, I work hard to develop different workshop and group ideas to round out what we can offer here. I’ve done some different virtual workshops about mental health, about boundaries, about sexuality, and we’re also currently working on a group for metastatic guests in the area.”

Mary’s Place by the Sea will host its 14th annual walk-a-thon and seventh annual 5K run on Oct. 18 on Ocean Pathway in Ocean Grove, and will present a holiday fundraiser concert, “A Very Merry Classic Christmas,” Dec. 19 at the Pollak Theatre at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey.

Mary’s Place by the Sea is located at 22 Main Avenue in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. For reservations and more information, visit https://www.marysplacebythesea.org.

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