Help Lithuanian Kids in their Battle with Cancer..

Diagnosis - Cancer

Five year old Eivydas spent seven months in the hospital with his mother, Denas is in his three year hospital stay, seven year old Adas hospital is his home for a year ...

There are about 100 such children a year. 100 families a year hear a horrifying diagnosis - cancer. This diagnosis shakes the whole family and changes the lives of every family member. Moms, dads, grandparents are forced to make difficult decisions as they prepare for the difficult process of treating their child. The siblings are doomed to long, painful, difficult-to-lift divorces. When life gives us a little test and we are hospitalized for some ailment, after a few days we seem to be starting to press walls, lack of air, homes, loved ones ... We feel that in a more comfortable environment and surrounded by loved ones we can recover faster. Those who have not experienced it themselves have a hard time imagining the feelings and experiences of children with oncology, who are incarcerated in hospitals for months to years, and the challenges they face in the family. But this is well understood by Egle Melinauskiene, the head of Mothers' Union, who has overcome the disease herself and has been devoting her time and energy to helping children with cancer and their families for many years.

Family Home - an opportunity for the family to be with the family "Family Home" is a help center for families of seriously ill children, where all their loved ones can spend time with the patient. "Here we will drink tea, there will be a pool, here you will play basketball with my brother, and here we will plant vegetables ...", says Egle, showing the family home being set up for one of the patients. "With brother? Oh, so we can be here soon! ”, The boy is not happy. This home is located a few kilometers from the Children's Hospital of the Santariškes Clinic Branch of Vilnius University. The 2000 square meter building stands on a one-hectare plot. The building houses 11 mini-apartments, where the child will be able to live with his / her family during disease research and treatment. The family will have a 42-square-foot ward with a separate entrance and terrace. There will be a kitchenette, bedroom, toilet, shower, wardrobe. It is planned to set up art therapy and play rooms and a playground where sick children and siblings will spend time. The common areas will include a dining room, laundry, and a rehabilitation center. The Information Center, set up at Family House, will help parents provide information that their loved ones are sorely missing, especially at the beginning of their illness. This home will provide access to additional help from pediatricians, pain specialists, psychologists, clergy. They also think of children who are helpless in medicine ... Patients are being treated for palliative care ("butterfly") care. Once thought of as the practice of such a home in so many other countries, Family Home seemed like a utopia, later turned into a dream, and now it is a real project that does not take much to complete.

The project estimate is $ 2.5 million. euros. The project has already raised $ 2 million. euros. It is expected that during September, the remaining amount needed to complete the project - 300 thousand. euros. The project is audited and supervised by certified auditors and the public is provided with full information on the funds used on the project website. Family Homes are built on global best practices - Ronald McDonald's House operates in 58 countries, Family House (US), Sick Children's Trust (UK).

Links:

• "Family home"