Wishing you Peace, Love, and Hope

Manuel spent the first 10 weeks of his life in the hospital and at Family House. This 5-lb miracle baby was born with leukemia, and at only six days old, he underwent heart surgery to close a hole in his heart. This was followed by chemotherapy to treat his cancer. The day after this photo was taken, his parents, Patty & Rosendo, would bring him home for the first time.

Please donate today so that parents like Patty and Rosendo can focus on what matters most - their baby's health:  https://familyhouse.ejoinme.org/holidaymiracles

Manuel, A Miracle Baby

Manuel spent the first 10 weeks of his life in the hospital and at Family House.

This 5-lb miracle baby was born via emergency c-section with Transient Myeloproliferative Disorder, a type of Leukemia that affects children with Down Syndrome. At only six days old, he underwent heart surgery to close a hole in his heart. This was followed immediately by weeks of chemotherapy to treat his cancer.

"Manuel was in and out of the hospital for the first two months of his life. He had fluid building around his heart that wouldn't drain on its own. He got a lung infection and had to be on oxygen because his lungs weren't working properly," says Patty, Manuel's mother.

The day after the above photo was taken, his parents, Patty and Rosendo, would bring him home for the first time.

"At Family House, everyone was friendly and open, everyone was willing to help. It's nice staying there - a little home away from home."  Now 8 months old, Manuel can do the things that other babies can do, like hold his own bottle, roll over, and sit up on his own. He's starting to talk, too.

"His heart and pulmonary counts are great. He's doing what normal babies do; we're very happy, we're very proud of him."

Please donate today to Family House so we can help babies like Manuel have a happy, healthy future: https://familyhouse.ejoinme.org/holidaymiracles 

Click here to learn more about Family House families:
http://www.familyhouseinc.org/family-stories.html 

Volunteer Spotlight: Raissa Bump

Raissa Bump has volunteered as the Family House Yoga instructor for the past 3 years. She heard about Family House through a previous volunteer. Raissa is dedicated to providing monthly yoga sessions to the families at Family House.  Each month she sets up a yoga class and offers the service to families and staff. She is able to teach all levels, from beginner to advanced, and takes extra caution when working directly with the patients. 

Yoga helps relieve some of the emotional, social, and physical stresses that our families are going through. Yoga practices breathing techniques, behavioral guidelines, and physical posture improvements that can be incredibly valuable.

Besides donating her time by volunteering with Family House, Raissa has a thriving business selling amazing jewelry, handmade knit items, and gorgeous clothing.

Raissa, we love your energy and dedication to the families each time you visit Family House. Thank you!

Get involved with Family House! Learn more at http://www.familyhouseinc.org/volunteer.html

Jarren Fogle's Inspiring Story

It only takes about ten seconds with Jarren Fogle to see that nothing— including his diagnosis with medulloblastoma— will slow him down.  Diagnosed earlier this summer at age two, Jarren started his treatment with surgery and three rounds of chemo in Madera.  But when a stem cell transplant and high-dose chemo were needed, he was transferred to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital to finish his treatment.

Jarren is a bundle of energy, with an infectious smile that he hides behind his hands during a lively game of "peek-a-boo".  He snuggles up to his mom, Danielle, on a cozy chair in the Family House living room.  When asked about their time in the house, Danielle lights up.  After being secluded for three months in a hospital room in Madera, she was nervous to move into a house with other families.  But her worries were relieved once she arrived.  "It's a blessing to have the security, knowing that you have somewhere to stay when you're going through tough times like this."

Danielle instantly noticed a difference in her son once his tumor was removed— he began reciting his numbers and colors, even naming shapes that Danielle swears she never taught him!  These days, he’s got plenty to talk about, including all the details of his third birthday.  Jarren celebrated at Family House on November 14th, complete with a Mickey Mouse cake and a visit from his dad and grandma.  Next week, Jarren and Danielle hope to take a road trip to celebrate Thanksgiving at the home of another family who were living at Family House when they moved in.

Today, all traces of his tumor are gone.  And although he has a few more months of treatment, Danielle sees the light at the end of the tunnel and looks forward to her next chapter with a happy, healthy son.  “Most people never meet their hero,” she says, “but I gave birth to mine.”

Click here to learn more about Family House families:
http://www.familyhouseinc.org/family-stories.html 

Brayden and Ashlee

 

In 2010, 19-year-old Ashlee Hannah brought her first and only child, Brayden, to the doctor for his 2-month checkup and immunizations. Brayden reacted badly to the shots – his mouth and throat blistered and his pediatrician immediately sent him to the local hospital in Tombstone, Arizona.

Through a battery of tests, including blood draws and a spinal tap, Brayden’s health continued to deteriorate – he couldn’t eat on his own and doctors had to insert an NG tube for feedings.  After several days of tests at the hospital, Brayden was diagnosed with Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) – and that his only chance for survival would be a bone marrow transplant at UCSF in San Francisco.

“He had a lot of procedures done to him; I'd seen him at his worst. At times, I never knew if I would wake up to my little baby boy being alive.”

Brayden was inpatient at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital for five months, and Ashlee didn’t leave his side. She was able to be his bone marrow donor, and looking back, “I am so glad that there was a way for him to live, with the great doctors and nurses at UCSF.”

As Brayden recovered from his transplant, he continued treatment at UCSF and therefore couldn’t go home to Arizona.

“I was only 18, away from my family in a city I'd never been to… We lived at Family House for 11 months, and my son experienced all of his ‘firsts’ at Family House - holidays, his first Christmas. I live in a very small town and am definitely not a city girl, so it was my ‘first’ for a lot of things, too.

 “The staff were always there for me when I needed to talk or needed help. They were my family away from family. If I didn't have the Family House I honestly can say I have no idea what I would've done.

“They helped me with transportation, gave me gift cards, and when money my parents sent was stolen in the mail, Family House actually made up the difference. I was speechless because they didn't need to do that, but they did! The organization is honestly a true blessing - they're truly wonderful people there.”

Brayden is now four years old, and he is into everything - just like other boys his age. He continues to receive IVIG antibody treatments in Arizona (making up for his body’s natural lack of B Cells), and returns to UCSF annually for checkups.

 To other parents of children with a life-threatening illness, Ashlee advises, “You might go through a lot of hiccups down your road when you have a sick child, but you have to be strong for yourself and for your child. Never give up! Make sure you have a great support system like I did with my family, the Family House, and the great medical team that saved my sons life. Know that you're not alone!”

Family House Family Stories Videos

Have you seen the latest Family House Family Stories videos?  Since being introduced in June (Nino's Story), we have released two more Family Stories videos - Amenah & Anthony, and Jack's Tale.  While each story is very different, they share the same themes - love, community, compassion, gratefulness, and strength.

We plan to release a new Family Story video each month - be sure to subscribe to the Family House Youtube Channel and sign up to receive our newsletters.

Please view and share these videos - by sharing the mission of Family House, it builds our community, enabling us to help even more families in need.  Thank you!

Click here to learn more about Family House families:
http://www.familyhouseinc.org/family-stories.html 

Family Stories: Marisa's Story

Watch the latest Family House Family Stories video, featuring the parents of Marisa Shelton, an adorable little girl (and also the poster child for our friends at Giving Comfort):

 

Click here to learn more about Family House families:
http://www.familyhouseinc.org/family-stories.html

Family House Family Stories: Faye's Story

What do you do when your 2-month old becomes seriously ill? Yifan and Kip Baumann were faced with this terrible question in 2009 when their little girl started to show symptoms of liver failure.

"Faye was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia (BA) at the age of two months. BA is a rare, life-threatening liver disease, and there is no hospital to treat her disease in the Sacramento area where we live," recalls Faye's mother, Yifan. Faye was taken by ambulance to San Francisco for surgery and treatment at the UCSF Children's Hospital on July 31, 2009. Though the surgery was successful, afterwards, Faye suffered three separate bouts of Cholangitis, a life-threatening infection of the bile duct system, and the family found themselves in and out of San Francisco for treatment at UCSF over the course of many months.

 "Kip and I were both exhausted by that time, so Faye's grandparents came to help. They lived in the Family House for about 2 weeks and cared for Faye during the day. We greatly appreciate the help from the Family House during our most difficult time!"

Three years have passed since the Baumann family were regulars at UCSF and Family House. There is now a new face in the family, Faye's healthy baby brother, Kai.  Faye can never be "cured" of BA - it is a disease that will be with her for life. Unless science can discover a way to stop the progression of the disease, a liver transplant may be in her future. For now, she is healthy and vibrant.

 For her 4th birthday, Faye's parents requested that friends and family make donations to Family House in lieu of gifts.  "Family House is doing great things to help people in need and I want to let people know that. A donation to Family House is much more meaningful to us than gifts. We will explain to Faye that the gifts from her guests were sent to Family House to help other kids, so they can also have birthday parties.

"When she gets older, we will encourage her to participate in charity and community service. I saw many many great people during our difficult time and I want to Faye to learn from them."

To learn about ways that you can help Family House, please click here: http://www.familyhouseinc.org/donate.shtml


Introducing Family Stories Videos

Introducing Family House Family Stories - videos that feature the brave and inspiring stories of families of children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.  Watch the first Family Stories video - Nino's Story:

http://www.familyhouseinc.org/family-stories.html

Family House Staff Spotlight: Jessica Creager

Interview with Jessica Creager, Director of Finance and Special Events

How did you come to be at Family House?
When I first started at Family House in November 1997, as Assistant Administrator, there were only three full-time staff members. I heard about the position through the then-Executive Director, Cliff Berg, who was looking for someone who knew how to do Quickbooks, and I had that experience. I never knew about Family House before I was offered the job, but I've grown to love it!

How has Family House Changed since you first started?
When I first started, we housed 10 families a night, and now we house 34 families a night.  We had only one building; now we have two.  The annual budget has increased from $350,000 to $1.6 million. We were only three staffers, and there's eleven of us now.

What are some of your favorite Family House memories?
The Giants stadium AT&T Ballpark event! We got to celebrate Family House's 30th Anniversary with families from so many different years. It was great to see so many families that I've gotten to know while working at Family House, and to see the continuity.

Also, getting to know Nayiri Torigian, who was a young woman who battled cancer. She and her family, they were just so sweet.  She sadly passed away, but getting to know that family was really important, especially important for me, for when I later went through cancer treatment.  She was inspiring to me.

Working at Family house before my cancer diagnosis gave me so much insight to what was coming. Knowing all the kids and all the families that I'd met actually made me more brave in the face of dealing with the treatments. Treatment wasn't as scary to me because I had known personally, especially little ones, who had faced it with no problems.  So, I figured I couldn't be a total wimp about the whole thing!  [Laughs.]  The great acceptance I felt, having a personal illness, and coming back and being greeted with open arms…  not ostracized, not something strange, since at Family House, it's the norm. I've been cancer-free since 2002, and am now officially cured!

Another great thing about being at Family House has been getting to know Family House founders, The Ablins.  They've been so welcoming to me, kind of treating me like family through all these years.  It's been an honor to get to know them and hear their stories, and how they started Family House, but also how they've done so many other amazing things throughout their lives.

Learn more about the caring staff at Family House:  http://www.familyhouseinc.org/staff.html