The Boston House, a free home for families whose children are being treated for cancer in Boston, is housing up to 22 families who will spend Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas there, co-executive director Dawn Emerman told GBH.[1] Since 1979 the house has given families no-cost accommodations while their children are treated at Dana-Farber Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center.[2]
Related: Mass General Hospital Study of 300,000 Mammograms Finds 3D Screening Works Better With Age.
A former guest now runs it
Emerman’s family was among the first to stay at the house, in 1979, when her 2-year-old sister, Danielle, was treated for a brain tumor at Boston Children’s Hospital. Emerman was 5.[1] She grew up in rural Maine, and she said a hotel stay would have been out of reach for her family. The house let them be together for more than short hospital visits.[1]
She returned as a volunteer during her sophomore year of college and later rose to her current job, which she shares with her husband, Mike.[1] Coming back years later, she said, “walking through those doors, it felt like home.”[1]
Built for children after transplant
When Emerman’s family stayed there, the house had nine bedrooms and shared common areas. It has since added 13 studio apartments in its carriage house, along with space designed for children leaving the hospital after a bone marrow transplant, whose immune systems are weakened.[1]
How to get help
Families can check eligibility by calling 617-734-3333 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. or emailing info@thebostonhouse.org.[2] More coverage is on our Health and Boston pages.
Sources
- GBH: The Boston House ‘feels like home’ for families dealing with childhood cancer
- The Boston House: Hope and Healing for Children with Cancer
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