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Cleaning For A Reason Relieves Cancer Patients

WARWICK, Pa. (CBS 3) ― October 15, 2006 was the day that was supposed to lead to the happily ever after for one couple. But exactly one year later, the plan slammed to a halt.

"My name is Lesley Kramaroff. My diagnosis is was invasive ductal carcinoma. I had a radical mastectomy which they removed the entire breast and then they remove lymph nodes," Lesley said.

"It's an emotional punch in the stomach," Lesley's husband said.

At their home the gift of cleanliness is the gift of happiness for the newlywed from Warwick, Bucks County.

A year after her wedding Leslie's life now brings constant pain and fatigue making household cleaning a burden she can't carry.

"Our whole life has just been consumed by doctor's appointments and tests and what does this test mean," Leslie said.

So when Leslie heard about Cleaning For a Reason she made the call.  The new nationwide service cleans the homes of women undergoing cancer treatment.  Created by Deborah Sardone, calls from patients from all over the country are filtered through to local chapters.

Tara Ewalt, who locally owns and operates You've Got It Maid cleaning services, picks up from there.

"We clean their homes for free for times when they're in treatment. It's one cleaning per month," said Tara Ewalt, You've Got It Maid.

The idea is by wiping away the burden of chores for free patients can focus on getting healthy.

"It was an incredible feeling to be able to help somebody by just doing what we do which was a really nice feeling to have," Ewalt said.

"When they came they were cleaning like I could actually like my house smelled clean, like I just looked around and things looked the way it would if I was able to do it myself. So it really like turned my mood completely around," Leslie said.

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