Photo: Lucy’s Love Bus.
Transformation of an old VW bus into one bringing joy to seriously ill children.
July 1 was a sad day for friends of my former boss because despite some promising treatments, it turned out there really was no cure for the type of brain-stem cancer that his beautiful 8-year-old daughter mysteriously contracted.
But I want to tell you about two wonderful organizations that provided many happy moments for this little girl for more than a year. With the help of these nonprofits and the child’s friends and teachers, she was able to have normal, happy times as she became in 19 months — to use her mother’s words — “somehow, both more vulnerable and more amazing at the same time.”
Lucy’s Love Bus is described here. “Lucy Grogan founded Lucy’s Love Bus in 2006, from her hospital bed at Tufts Floating Hospital for Children in Boston. … Thanks to the financial support of folks in her hometown of Amesbury, MA, Lucy had consistent access to integrative therapies such as acupuncture, massage, horseback riding, art, and music therapy.
“Lucy learned that the integrative therapies that were so profoundly helpful to her during treatment were not covered by insurance, and therefore most children with cancer did not have access to them. She decided that when she was ‘done with cancer,’ she would make sure that all children had the same access to the helpful integrative therapies that she took advantage of during treatment.
“Lucy named her organization Lucy’s Love Bus, because she wanted to deliver love, comfort and quality of life to children with cancer. She felt that cure was very important, but recognized that no one was addressing the immediate suffering that she and her friends faced every day. Lucy’s primary concern was to deliver comfort … until a cure.” More.
The Hole in the Wall Gang is described here. “The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp is dedicated to providing ‘a different kind of healing’ to seriously ill children and their families, free of charge. We are a community that celebrates the spirit of childhood, the sound of laughter and the feeling of endless possibility.
“The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp was founded in 1988 by Paul Newman to give every child – no matter their illness – the chance to ‘raise a little hell.’ Including our summer Camp in Ashford, Conn, we run 9 programs that serve more than 20,000 kids and family members throughout the Northeast each year.” More.
My former boss’s two wonderful daughters. So much love here.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
Truly there are so many kind, caring people! Thanks for sharing
Heart breaking and heart warming, all at the same time . . .
It hurts me that medical science hasn’t been able to save these kids’ lives. There is so much cancer research in the world! Both my husband and I have benefited from research on forms of cancer that are typical for grown-ups. It’s even more important for children to be saved. But not only is there no cure, it is not even known what causes this appalling death sentence.
This made me tear up… Thank you for sharing!
No child should ever have to suffer an incurable disease. The bright moments stand out brighter for the darkness. She adored the horse and the riding that Lucy’s Love Bus made possible.