Julie Cowdin, right, gets her house cleaned for free from Merry Maids through a program called Cleaning for a Reason. Workers Tracy Carter, left, and Amber Coffman-Rogers recently finished cleaning. The free service is available to cancer patients.

It’s difficult keeping a home clean under any circumstances, but when cancer hits a household, the burden can be overwhelming. That’s when Cleaning for a Reason comes to the rescue.

The program, which provides free housecleaning services to women with cancer, began nationally in 2006. Recently, local Merry Maids franchise owner Kim Hinkly, of Topeka, brought it to Lawrence as a way of helping people who already have enough stress in their lives.

“My best friend was diagnosed with breast cancer at 32 and had a double mastectomy,” Hinkly explains. “It was Stage 3, almost Stage 4, and we weren’t sure if she was going to make it. She lives in Kansas City, so one of the things I did for her was to pay for Merry Maids to go once a month when she was going through treatment. She was just so thankful. So, when I saw (Cleaning for a Reason) at our North American convention, I signed up.”

Julie Cowdin of Lawrence, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 and is currently in treatment for metastatic disease, says the service has helped her maintain some semblance of a routine.

“I think it’s important for my daughter and family for me to keep things as normal as possible,” Cowdin says. “So, by the time I get home from work and do the grocery shopping or help my daughter with her homework or take her to her guitar lesson, that’s about all I can do. This means one less thing I have to worry about. I can take that time and spend it with my family.”

Currently, 667 cleaning services (including but not limited to Merry Maids), located in every state as well as Canada, participate in Cleaning for a Reason. Each company commits to four cleanings per patient, underwriting all related costs. Nationally, over 3,000 women have been assisted, nationally, to date.

Hinkly, whose Lawrence office serves three patients at this time, says any woman undergoing treatment for cancer of any kind can apply for the service online at CleaningForAReason.org.

“They would just have their doctor send the information to Cleaning for a Reason to verify that they’re eligible for the program,” Hinkly says. “Then, the organization will send us their name, phone number, e-mail, etc. We’ll contact them and set up their cleanings.”

The program is a boon not only to patients, but to their caregivers, as well.

“It’s been a godsend,” says Scott Boyd, of Lawrence, whose wife, Megan, is battling brain cancer. “We had no problem with the Merry Maids just letting themselves in, and Megan would tell them what she wanted done. And, it helped me out tremendously. I was able to take care of things on a day-to-day basis and didn’t have to worry about the house turning into a disaster.”

For more information, go to www.cleaningforareason,org or call Merry Maids of Lawrence at 842-2410.