How Wellness House helped one family navigate loss, grief, and a second chance at love

For Jennifer Carmody Haunty and Jake Haunty, Wellness House represents far more than a place. It represents connection, community and the reminder that no one has to face cancer alone.

Although their paths would eventually intersect, each first experienced cancer through profound personal loss.

Jennifer’s journey began in June 2012 when her husband, Matt, was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma at age 38. At the time, the couple had three young children, with a fourth on the way. After a year in remission, the family moved to Hinsdale in July 2013. One year later, Matt’s cancer returned, and he passed away while preparing for a stem-cell transplant.

“I was 40 years old with four children ages 6, 4 (twins), and 18 months,” Jennifer recalls. “To say I was overwhelmed was an understatement.”

Jennifer met Gale Smith when their oldest sons were in kindergarten together at Monroe Elementary. Gale, another young widow, became a lifeline and introduced Jennifer to Wellness House, where Jennifer and her children attended grief support programs.

“I looked forward to Mondays,” Jennifer says. “The widows and widowers would meet while our children attended the Turtles program. It was a safe space where I could share my sadness and worries with people who truly understood.”

Jake’s own cancer journey began in Seattle when his first wife, Nancy, was diagnosed with breast cancer just one year after they were married. Following multiple recurrences and a Stage IV diagnosis, Nancy lived another seven years before passing away.

Looking back, Jake says one thing was missing during their family’s experience.

“We didn’t have a resource like Wellness House while Nancy and I were on our cancer journey in Seattle,” he says. “The one thing I wish more people understood about the cancer journey is how isolating it can feel.”

After a few years on his own, Jake was ready to move back to the Midwest to be closer to family. In 2018, his sister-in-law, Molly Haunty, and Gale Smith arranged for him to attend the Wellness House Ball, where he and Jennifer shared what they now consider their first date.

As Jake became part of Jennifer’s life, he quickly recognized how important Wellness House had become to Jennifer and her children.

“The power of Wellness House is realizing that we are not alone,” Jake says. “Others have walked, or are walking, the same path, and those connections mean everything.”

Today, the Hauntys are honored to support the organization that supported Jennifer and her children through their grief—and that became an important part of Jake’s life as well.

Jennifer is grateful for the opportunity to give back.

“I’m looking forward to helping be part of such an instrumental event [Wellness House’s Light the Way Ball] that provides Wellness House the funding to offer free programs and gives so much back to our community,” she says.

Jennifer Carmody Haunty and Jake Haunty are serving as Ball Chairs for Wellness House’s Light the Way Ball on Saturday, October 24, 2026, at The Ritz-Carlton, Chicago, along with Dr. Angela Crowley, Dr. R. Webster Crowley, Dr. Gale England Smith, and Stephen Smith. Proceeds from the event support the organization’s more than 525 free programs offered each month. For more information, visit wellnesshouse.org.