Today, many children with cancer receive multidisciplinary care that includes surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. MassGeneral Hospital for Children provides cutting-edge technology that can be critical to treating childhood cancer. The hospital is one of three U.S. centers that offer Proton Beam radiation. Unlike traditional radiation, proton therapy makes it possible to precisely target the cancer without damaging the surrounding healthy tissue and organs. Children come from all over the country and these treatments can take from six to eight weeks. The logistics can prove challenging for patients and their families -- particularly for the increasingly large number who travel from out of state -- as they must stay near the hospital for the duration of their treatment. Finding affordable accommodations can be difficult in an area where hotel rates begin at $139 a night. Some find themselves staying as far away as Worcester. Clearly there is a critical need for a better solution -- as close to MassGeneral for Children as possible. Christopher’s Haven can fill that need.

Christopher's Haven Today

Christopher’s Haven leases two apartments at Charles River Park where children and their families stay for an average of 7 weeks for outpatient treatment. This short term solution allows us to provide shalter for several families a year, while we raise funds and work with realtors and developers toward a permanent residence.

The Challenge

There are a number of prerequisites for the facility that add to the already-daunting challenge. The facility must be as close as possible to MassGeneral Hospital for Children, which is located at the flat of Beacon Hill. The neighborhood must be safe, accessible to public transportation and allow for mixed use and temporary housing. Immediate capacity should accommodate 5-8 families with potential for future expansion. To meet this challenge, Christopher’s Haven must raise approximately $1.5 million in the near term to purchase and renovate a property and then thereafter raise an additional $300-$500k to operate the facility and pay the mortgage. The more successful we are in raising money up front, the money can go to serving kids and not debt service.