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Our Second Haven
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On May 18, 2007 Christopher's Haven opened a second apartment at 10 Emerson Place in Boston and dedicated it as The Richard A. Cerullo Suite. The dedication ceremony was as moving as the story behind it.
Richie Cerullo, as he was known to his friends and family, died of a brain tumor in 2001. For a number of years, his wife Beth and their family and friends raised significant amounts of money for cancer research for the Dana Farber Cancer Center.
Beth and Ritchie met while in high school in Bedford, Mass. One of their high school friends, Joyce Duvall of Sudbury, MA, suggested that supporting Christopher's Haven would be a great way to channel efforts for remembering Ritchie. Some of Ritchie's friends stepped forward to fund a new apartment and Beth Cerullo, along with many other family members and friends offered to turn their successful fundraising programs into benefits for Christopher's Haven.
Christopher's Haven now operates two apartments at 10 Emerson Place in Charles River Park to provide housing for families in visiting Boston for out-patient care for a child being treated for cancer at the proton therapy center at the MassGeneral Hospital for Children. This is only one of three centers in the US where this specialized kind of radiation is offered. The proton beam targets the cancer but does not harm the healthy bone, tissue or organs near the tumor or in the radiation path.
Christopher's Haven opened its first apartment in September, 2006. To date, seven families have been able to take advantage of this sunny two bedroom space that can accommodate an active family and visiting friends during their child's 6-8 week out-patient treatment stay in Boston. The generous donation of the second apartment allows us to double our capacity to serve families from out of town from approximately 10 to 20 per year. Immediately after the dedication ceremony a new family moved in to The Richard A. Cerullo Suite for their 8 week stay.
Both apartments are adjacent to the Massachusetts General Hospital where the children are treated and where there are extensive therapy programs for both patients and family members during treatment. Being close by has been most important to the families who have stayed at Christopher's Haven.