Now and Then: A Story of Hope Sponsored by Loews Hotel in Minneapolis

 

The Reason:

When I was growing up it was hard to keep friends as we moved around constantly.  Friendships would come and go and without the technology we have today, it was nearly impossible to stay in touch.  It wasn’t until my Sophomore year in high school that I met a group of girls that I still, to this day, call my best friends.  I was again new and nervous until one girl invited me to a birthday sleepover.  From that day forward I was apart of a friendship that is still together even though adult life and responsibilities have taken over.

In the fall of 2010 I was doing laundry when I received a text from my friend Doni with a picture of a lump on her neck asking, “do you know what this is?”  I had been a nurse for 2 years and was use to my friends asking me generalized medical questions.  However, this was out of my scope.  I responded, “You need to see a doctor ASAP.”  She went and the results… Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Cancer.  My best friend had cancer at 25 years old. It’s beens seven years and she’s still fighting.  To read more about her story or donate to her medical needs, visit Doni’s Story.

It’s now 2017 and she has gone through multiple surgeries, chemo, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant….unsuccessfully.  It is now to the point where she has to drive out to North Carolina for a trial treatment that has only been used on seven other patients and without information on side effects or effectiveness of the treatment.  Before she starts this new journey, we wanted to get together one more time.

An Act of Kindness: Loews Minneapolis Hotel

Two of us live in Minneapolis, MN and two live in Sioux Falls, SD.  I contacted Loews Hotel in Minneapolis and told them our back story.  All I had asked for was an upgrade in our room for some social media advertising in return.  What I received instead blew my me away.

I was contacted by Michael Pattison, VIP Manager of the Loews Minneapolis Hotel.  He asked me questions about my friend and what she liked.  If there is one thing for sure, Doni LOVES the Minnesota Twins.  Mr. Pattison went to work on giving us the best Minnesota Twins experience we could have asked for.  It started with an upgrade to the 20th floor of the hotel, one below the penthouse.  When we arrived Mr. Pattison greeted us, on his day off no less, and took us to our room.  There was a welcome gift package with a personalized card written to Doni.  The room was spacious with beds you could sink into.  The sheets were so soft and the pillows were fluffy they just about molded to my head, it was amazing we ever got out of bed.  What was most exciting about this room was the view of Target Field, home to the Minnesota Twins!

Target Field–Minnesota Twins Baseball Club–Delta Sky360 Legends Club

We spent a little time catching up before making the short walk to Target Field for the game.  Guest Experience Senior Director at the Minnesota Twins Baseball Club, Patrick Forsland, was so generous to upgrade our outfield seats to first row seats in the Delta Sky360 Legends Club.  After collecting our tickets we were met by Minnesota Twins Baseball Club Senior Account Executive, Doug Beck.  We skipped the lines and were taken in to get field access during batting practice.  It was such a cool experience being on the field and meeting a few players before they went into the locker room.  Thank you to Jose Berrios for taking the time to come over and Autograph a shirt for Doni.

Mr. Beck showed us to the Delta Sky360 Legends Club, giving us a quick tour, and making sure we had everything we needed for a great game experience.  The Delta Sky360 Legends Club was equip with liquor bars, assortment of food to purchase, and when we found our cushioned seats… servers to take our orders so we wouldn’t have to miss a second of the game!  To see more about what they have to offer click here.

Halfway through the game a Target Field representative came to us with a bag of goodies including Minnesota Twins hats and warm up shirts along with a special gift for Doni.  A signed baseball by her favorite player Brian Dozier!  We had unfortunately missed him at batting practice, so this was definitely an exciting surprise.  Finally, one last gift from Target Field and the Minnesota Twins was a message on the Big Board thanking their number one fan for coming to the game. After an eventful evening, all we could think about was falling into our beds back at the Loews Minneapolis Hotel.  The shower was so delightful with it’s six different shower heads that spouted water against my entire body and soft robes that added an extra comfort.  It didn’t take long to say, “lights out,” from exhaustion, but the next day was also filled with activities and we needed to get our beauty sleep.

Embury Spa

Embury Spa is located on the 6th floor of the Loews Minneapolis Hotel.  We were greeted with a glass of champagne and changed into our robes.  Lockers were provided for each person to keep our personal belongings safe.  After filling out a questionnaire about our wants and needs during this spa day, we placed our orders for a snack that would be provided halfway through our treatments.  I started with a full body scrub that lasted 25 minutes and was instructed to wash off in a private heated steam/shower room.  Next up was an 80 minute full body massage where the massage therapist was able to knead out the stress knots that consume my body.  Finally, I was greeted with a 65 minute facial treatment that hydrated my skin, shrank and cleaned out my pores, and worked on relaxing my wrinkles.  That last part is going to take more work.  All the ladies who treated us that day were professional in every way and did an amazing job at making us all feel like we received the VIP treatment.Embury Spa is currently having a Half-Day spa package deal for $299 (a $400 value) which includes 3 hours of treatments, choice of spa cuisine, Champagne, and a skin-care kit worth $40.

Food and Drinks at the Loews Minneapolis Hotel

The Loews Minneapolis Hotel has two Lounge bars and a restaurant located inside.  We checked out both the Releve and Apothecary Bar and Lounge for drinks our last night.  They provide a quiet and romantic ambiance that would be great for a date night or a place to just sit back with friends an converse.  The Cosmos is located on the 4th floor of the Loews Minneapolis Hotel, and while we didn’t dine for dinner, it offers a delightful selection for breakfast.

One Last Surprise

On our last night, we received a room service knock at the door.  We looked at each other confused since none of us had ordered anything.  In came a small box of chocolates and bottle of Champagne complementary of the Loews Minneapolis Hotel.  A card with my name on it laid against the Champagne bucket.  It was a note from the VIP Manager wishing me a Happy Birthday and hoping we had a great weekend!  Although this weekend was my Birthday, I had wanted it to be all about my friend and giving her a local vacation of a lifetime.  We toasted to our friendship, to Doni’s trial treatment, and to the Loews Minneapolis Hotel for making this the best girls weekend trip we could have imagined!

Special Thanks To:

Lowes Minneapolis Hotel, Michael Pattison, VIP Manager for coordinating all of these events for us, checking in to make sure everything was going smoothly, and taking the time to personalize this trip for all of us.  You went above and beyond our expectations and for that we are grateful.

To see more picture from our VIP weekend visit my Facebook Travel Page or my Instagram Travel Page