In the 13 months since turning the family home into Retreat House, Jessica Burns has held four weekend events for cancer patients.

The aim is to help them to find rest and relaxation during a difficult time.

Ms Burns named her cancer weekends the Kim Burns Retreats after her late mother, Kim Burns, a Pals nurse and former head of Agape House.

“She lost her two-year battle with ovarian cancer at just 61,” Ms Burns said. “My mother’s legacy of compassion now lives on through my work, offering comfort and community to those on the journey she once walked.”

Ms Burns provides a safe space for people who come to the retreats so they can share their feelings with others who understand.

“We want to transform strangers into family through sharing circles,” she said. “These circles encourage participants to open up — sometimes for the first time — about things they can’t share with their family members, often largely because they are trying to be strong for them.”

She added that people living with cancer often feel pressure to be brave for everyone around them.

“I know my mom didn’t want to burden us with how scared she was,” Ms Burns said.

She said participants often arrive carrying the invisible weight of responsibilities that do not stop simply because they have cancer.

“From financial burdens of treatments to caring for their family, many people living with cancer feel alone in their journey, even when they are surrounded by loved ones,” Ms Burns said. “Over the course of the weekend, they are given the rare permission to simply exist without expectation.”

The weekends are completely free and supported by the generosity of Pals.

So far, 30 people have taken part.

“Participants leave not only refreshed, but also connected to a growing network of past attendees who continue to support one another long after the weekend ends,” Ms Burns said.

The Retreat House founder said increased awareness is essential to ensuring every person facing cancer knows they do not need to walk this journey alone. There is a network of others on this journey who are waiting to welcome them with open arms and support.

Ms Burns’s hope is that the community will spread the word about the cancer retreats. She said people should get in touch with Pals as soon as they begin their cancer journey.

“People often think of Pals as end-of-life care, but that is just one aspect of the amazing work they do,” she said. “They provide so much support from Day 1 and have a team of the most incredible people who will be there for you and your family.”

On every retreat, Ms Burns asks attendees what their supporters are doing well. People often respond with talk of their loved ones, but also mention Pals.

“They talk about how the staff have gone above and beyond in their job to show up and be there for them,” Ms Burns said. “I want to give a special shout-out to Colleen English DeGrilla, executive director of Pals. She is the one who believed in this dream and said yes to sponsoring it.”

Ms Burns also thanked Pals medical director Sharon Alikhani for providing endless support to her patients.

“She was there for my mom until the end,” Ms Burns said. “Shaimeka Ingham, medical social worker at Pals, gets mentioned frequently by attendees as someone who has got them through the darkest moments of their journey.”

The house also hosts retreats open to the wider community. These include yoga, surfing, prenatal, grief retreats, and their upcoming Cozy Christmas Retreat and Signature Spa Month retreats.

The Retreat House also partners with businesses to offer corporate wellness retreats, providing teams with a chance to reset, bond and invest in their mental health.

Ignite recently treated its team to an away day and said it did this because “rest and reconnection isn’t a luxury, it’s a strategy”.

Going forward, a portion of the proceeds from every corporate retreat will be donated directly to Pals, helping to fund the Kim Burns Retreats so they can remain free of charge for anyone in Bermuda living with cancer.

Ms Burns said companies will have the opportunity to determine how much is donated, from the minimum amount that will pay for one person’s meals for a retreat to covering the full cost of a weekend for future attendees of Kim Burns Retreats.

“This model not only supports my mother’s legacy, but allows local organisations to make a meaningful impact in the country they are doing business in,” Ms Burns said.

The building has wi-fi and a swimming pool. It can sleep 11 comfortably but could do 14 people in a pinch. Clients can share a room or have their own, depending on their budget.

People taking part in events at Retreat House are fed plant-based food by a holistic nutritionist chef and have the opportunity to participate in activities such as chair yoga and sound baths. They can also receive massages, manicures and pedicures.