Cleaning for a Reason: Charity provides housecleaning for cancer patients

International charity Cleaning for a Reason is providing free housecleaning to cancer patients and their families.

Calgary cancer patient Anne Cumming used the services while she was undergoing a stem cell transplant.

"To have them come in to do that cleaning and know the dirt was gone — because your immune system is so compromised — for us was very special," Cumming told CBC News.

"There's all kinds of things that need to be done, so cleaning is something that kind of takes a background even though you know it’s important. Having the girls come in and do this is an important aspect of being healthy," she added.

In Calgary, the charity teams up with Merry Maids to provide up to four free cleanings for each patient. In other cities, other cleaning companies partner with Cleaning for Reason.

Karen Hegedus, a Philadelphia wife and mother of two, found that her breast-cancer treatments sapped her of energy. Cleaning for a Reason helped her with the housework she suddenly found too overwhelming to conquer.

"Because people like Karen need somebody to come into their house," said Kathleen Albertson of Professional Building Services, the cleaning company that partners with the charity's Philadelphia chapter. "I have children myself and I don't have cancer, and I can't keep my house clean."

"I would just like to thank them for coming in and doing this for me," Hegedus told CBS Philadelphia.

Cleaning for a Reason spokesman Derek Feshek told CBC News that the charity is looking for more people to help in the Calgary area:

"They usually limit us to four [clients] at a time and right now we have maybe one, so we've got room for sure," he said.