"Christopher’s Haven was like a breath of fresh air for me and my family”

“I made so many friends in the Loft”

"Christopher’s Haven gave us a soft space to land in the middle of the worst times of our lives, turning it into the best time of our lives”

“We miss all those wonderful meals!"

"We could not do what we are doing without Christopher’s Haven.”

Christopher's Haven and visting families in the Loft is our favorite volunteer activity!

My son was diagnosed at 15 months with brain cancer. The best treatment for him, after his surgery, was proton beam radiation, and there was no proton beam within easy travel distance of my apartment. MGH has the most experienced staff in the country with pediatric proton beam radiation, so I made the decision to take my twin toddlers and myself to Boston. Christopher's Haven provided a place to stay that was so close to the hospital that I could roll out of bed and be at the. hospital in minutes every morning,. The apartment was beautifully decorated with furniture and cribs. The playroom and gathering area down the hall provided a great place ore the kids to play and meet and commiserate with other parents of kids with proton- beam requiring cancers. I feel lucky and blessed that we were offered space at Christopher's Haven for the duration of my son's radiation. I would recommend this to anyone. It has ben a life-saving organization for us.

My son and I stayed here while he received Proton Radiation and speech, vision, occupational and physical therapies. Because of its proximity to MGH he was able to maintain a schedule with up to five appointments each day and still h ave time to rest and recuperate. He arrived in a wheelchair and left walking. However Christopher's Haven is more than just affordable and convenient housing. It is a refuge for families during an incredibly stressful time in their lives. The sense of community is amazing. In addition to an amazing professional team, the families develop a bond which helps everyone heal, parents, sibling, aunts, uncles and grandparents.

If I had to describe Christopher's Haven using one word - it would be: BLESSING. My seven year old daugher was diagnosed with a rare spinal cancer. We traveled from Arizona for her radation treatments. I am a single mother and traveled with two children to a city I had never been to. Anything we can do to support this incredible organization and the healing work they do we are ready to help.

When you are going through a traumatic experience such as your chld having cancer, the last thing you need to worry abou tis making arrangements on where your family will live for 2 months during treatment. Christopher's Haven took that stress off our backs and allowed the four of us to just be a family and enjoy eachother as much as possible while we were in Boston .

Every time a parent comments "There is no place like Christopher's Haven" I am reminded of the movie The Wizard of Oz. Specifically Dorothy's famous line "There is no place like home". Christopher's Haven is a phenomenal organization and is clearly a home away from home for these families in need.