Welcome to our Sanctuary
In honor of the beautiful life of Jesse J, we hope to provide you with a nature sanctuary to create beautiful memories with your loved ones who are undergoing cancer treatment.
A Nature Sanctuary to Rest and Create Memories to Cherish
Jesse J. Sanctuary Foundation is a nonprofit (501c3) organization located in rural Des Moines, Iowa. We provide free hideaways for cancer patients and their families where they can peacefully enjoy their time together in a nature setting.
Jesse J's Cancer Journey
Jesse battled an aggressive form of brain cancer called Glioblastoma for 2 years. She was able to receive treatments from the University of Iowa Hospitals and Mayo Clinic. She also had two craniotomies to treat her Glioblastoma. The first being at the University of Iowa Hospitals and the second in Arizona.
During the operations, Jesse and her husband stayed at Hope’s Lodge in Iowa City during her treatments but a good Samaritan offered them a place to stay in Arizona for free while she was undergoing a second craniotomy in Arizona.
Despite receiving modern and naturopathic treatments, Jesse gained her wings and went to heaven on December 17, 2020.
Our Mission
We will provide comfort, support, and respite to cancer patients and their families by providing a nature sanctuary where they can enjoy a country setting to ease their experience with cancer. We believe honesty and integrity are the leading principles of our mission, and we strive to provide an atmosphere of compassion and care.
Our Vision
We aim to become an integral part of the community – recognized by hospitals and hospices as a trusted haven for temporary lodging and rest for cancer patients and their loved ones. Our long-term goal is to expand our footprint, building additional sanctuaries across the United States, ensuring that every cancer patient and their loved ones can find solace in their time of need.
Our Values
The Jesse J. Sanctuary Foundation holds the following values as priorities: Compassion and Empathy – We will act with kindness, consideration, and care for our guests. We will seek to understand their needs and try to accommodate them with the utmost respect and understanding.
From our guests...
I will start by saying we have been here before. I'm still in awe of the hosts Rick & Minoo! In this world where so much is happening, they create a way for those of us fighting cancer to spend some time enjoying the peace, beauty, and calming simple things in life. So much of our lives become focused on the cancer. Here, I escaped most of that feeling for some days. Minoo spends so much of her time making sure the wheels stay turning here. I'm certain it's very overwhelming for her. Rick took our grandchild out with him to walk the dog. He built campfires for us! He worked in coordination with the neighbors to take us to ride the horses! He took us all on a hayride! We had the entire family and several friends. My husband, daughter, and grandchild all took a turn dancing by the fire with me! Multiple times I went out on the deck to listen to the quiet and at times a hoot owl in the night. We gazed at the beautiful night sky. The kids played. We made smores and big family meals. This is such a beautiful place. Rick & Minoo had some wonderful chats & heart-to-hearts with us. I'll leave here in the morning with a calm, peaceful feeling and ready to step back into reality from this surreal escape. My cancer journey was supposed to be over. It isn't. Sometimes friends or loved ones don't know how to deal with people with cancer. Some don't want to talk about it. Some become distant. Some hold you closer than ever. I feel I have lifelong friends in Minoo & Rick. I hope everyone that visits finds the same peace, tranquility, love and friendship.
Thank you Minoo & Rick!