I can’t’ believe David’s House will be celebrating their 25^th anniversary. The years have certainly gone by fast.

In 1987 our son Michael, at the age of 11 months, was diagnosed with leukemia and our lives came to a screeching halt. Cancer is a devastating diagnosis for anyone, not to mention a child. We quickly learned to take life as it comes – one day at a time. Michael went through treatment for approximately one year and then relapses. He went to Boston Children’s Hospital for bone marrow transplant and after three-and-a-half months of suffering for him, and three-and-a-half months of emotional torture for us, he passed away. The scars we are left with are just under the surface of our very being and somehow we managed to survive the grief at its worst.

Although I never spent a lot of time at David’s House, my husband and son stayed there on weekends. David’s House was “our home-away-from-home” and the staff and volunteers became our second family. I will never forget how peaceful and welcoming David’s House was. I will always be grateful.

Sincerely,

Jeannie Fuller

In May of 2009 our son, Danny, had an ATV accident that required brain surgery to remove a clot from his brain. The pediatric neurosurgeon prepared us that we had a "long road" ahead of us. We live over three hours away in Massachusetts and really didn't have enough money for a long hotel stay, and didn't know what we were going to do. The nurses in the CHAD pediatric ICU referred us to David's House so that we could remain close to our son and still shower and get some sleep while he recovered.

We called your number and were welcomed right away. I never expected your house to be so warm and comforting. Everyone was genuinely concerned for our welfare, which is a rare commodity in today's world. As I'm sure you've heard many times before, David's House is like a gift from God for families in need.

As it turned out, we only had to stay one night because by some miracle Danny recovered faster than expected and was released in three days. He is almost back to his old self and is hoping to ride his bicycle and skateboard again.

We will never forget your kindness. God bless you all.

Amy & Daniel Blye

It was Christmas time in 1984. Justin would be six January 26, 1985. It was difficult for him to walk, he slept a lot, ran frequent fevers and generally didn't feel good. I carried him everywhere. He missed kindergarten often. We were told that I had spoiled him and he needed a psychiatrist. It was off to the doctors, the hospital for bone scans, orthopedics (finally ending in a cast to make him comfortable) and to an arthritist specialist. The weekend before Christmas it was realized that his sedimetation rate was 73, normal is 7-10, and he had lost 20 pounds. A lot when he weighed 60 pounds three months before. He was finally hospitalized in Concord, NH, but soon released with the choice of going to Dartmouth or Boston for possible cancer treatment. We chose Hanover, which was in the old hospital at the time. We were told to take him home and have a good Christmas and be in Hanover the next morning. The final diagnosis was Leukemia (ALL). Justin responded well to the treatment, hospitalized only nine days the first time. Friends asked if we were staying at David's House. I had no idea what that was. I assumed that no one liked us well enough to tell us about it and I was too shy to ask. Obviously, talk of David's House had spread, but not everyone knew that it wasn't yet open. Finally, we learned that yes there was to be a David's House and work was progressing on the first David's House. We were invited to visit the work in progress. There we met Jane DeGange, Dick and Jerrie Cyr and our mission to do what we could to help the cause began. We raised money under the name of "Friends of Justin Jones" and continued raising funds throughout his illness. I had the pleasure of being able to stay at David's House when Justin contracted chicken pox at week 54 of treatment. He was in the hospital for 13 days and things were not certain about the outcome, but it worked out ok in the end. I was grateful for the opportunity to not only stay at David's House then, but to be able to use David's House while waiting for chemo, as there was always time between blood drawings and the beginning of chemo.

We continued to use David's House, including the new location, until Justin turned 18 and was no longer seen by CHAD. He just turned 31 and continues to do well. It always bothered me that while attending the support groups offered back then, no one ever seemed to come in and share any stories of a long time survivor. Well, here is my chance to make special note of a long time survivor. I would like to thank Jane DeGange, former Director of David's House, for her wonderful caring and understanding; Dick Cyr for his understanding and sympathetic ear at times; and David's House for being the greatest place to stay close to those we love when we need it most. I am grateful to be able to donate to David's House whenever I can (for a number of years I went there and baked cookies and coffee breads at Christmas Time - what a pleasure it was to have two kitchens to work in at the new David's House - and it was such fun). Our local car club continues to donate whenever funds are available. We are a small club, but have had three members that have used David's House over the years.

I hope David's House is able to continue for years to provide that home away from home atmosphere that is so important to families going through such trauma in their lives.

A heartfelt thank you for all you did for my family. Your love and generosity will never be forgotten.

Judy Jones

Brody was born into our big family as child #5. He had many medical issues until his dx of a bleeding disorder when he was 4 months old. He continued to have other GI issues and needed a procedure that had to be done at CHAD. He would need to be monitered closely afterwards for complications and they needed us to be close, and that is when we found out about David's House. We ended up being there a week the first time, and have been back several times since then as Brody has many complications from GI issues and his bleeding disorder.

We don't ever know what the future holds, but we always know that we have David's House, and the amazing supporting staff that we have come to know as our friends over the years! Brody feels safe there, and loved. What more can you want for a child going through poking and prodding than safety and love?! Thank you David's House for giving us love and safety so far from home! You have meant so much to our family over the years.

My name is Elissa Powers and my husband, Peter, and I were guests at David's House in August of 2008. We have made a donation to David's House in memory of Peter's younger brother, Sean M. Powers, who was killed by a drunk driver on August 14, 2008. Sean was a Hopkinton police officer who was on his way home from work when his motorcycle was struck from behind. The car was driving 90mph and the two passengers fled the scene, leaving Sean in the road and not knowing the condition he was in.

My husband and I heard about Sean's death from his parents, who rode up to Concord Hospital that morning, driving by the scene of the accident. I was admitted to Concord Hospital the day before, being 34 weeks along with twin boys and not feeling very well. It was a very difficult time for all of us, as it was very unfair for Sean to be taken from us that way. That afternoon I was transferred to Dartmouth Hospital because I was considered high risk. My condition worsened over the day and the doctors at Dartmouth told us that the babies had to be born that day. At 8:07 and 8:08 our two sons, Sean's two nephews, Owen and Evan, were born. They were six weeks early and brought to the NICU where they spent three weeks. As one of Peter's other brother said, "It was a bittersweet day."  One of the saddest but one of the most joyful days of my life, as these babies are Peter's and my first born. Sad not only because we lost Sean, but also because Owen and Evan will never get to meet their wonderful uncle. One of Peter's uncles once told me that Sean did get to meet his nephews because as he was going up to heaven, Owen and Evan were coming down and their paths crossed then. The first few nights after I was released from the hospital were hard for Peter and I, as we never knew where we would be sleeping. The first night we stayed in the birthing pavilion because they had space for us at the moment, but we never knew if they would fill up in the middle of the night and have to move us. We also stayed in the Koala Suite a couple of times but that was never a sure thing. Every morning we would pack up our things, put it in the car, and wait all day to find out where we could sleep that night. It wasn't until we got a room at David's House that we got back to some kind of normalcy. Knowing we had a place to stay, a real bed to sleep in, and didn't have to pack our thing sin the morning was what Peter and I needed after the days we just had.

David's House was like a home to us when we were going through difficult times and didn't want to be too far away from our babies. It definitely helped lift our spirits by taking some of the stress out of the situation. We are very thankful that David's House was there for us, and we wanted to help give a little back. The money in Sean's name was made possible from the 2nd Annual Sean Powers Motorcycle Benefit Ride that took place in July 2009. The ride started by two of Sean's high school friends, and is planned to take place every year. Sean was a very special person to all of us and liked by everyone who knew him. He would want good things to come out of the terrible thing that happened to him so the money donated to David's House is meant to continue providing a wonderful, safe place for people in their time of need. Sean would be grateful knowing that he could be a part of that.

Elissa Powers, Newbury, NH

It is hard to believe that one year has passed since our daughter suffered a fractured spine while snowboarding in New Hampshire with family friends. It is a phone call that no parent ever wants to receive, especially since we were six hours away in New Jersey and had no idea where the hospital was located.

Once we arrived at the CHaD unit we were surrounded by very caring and supportive staff who immediately helped us understand the severity of or daughter's injuries and the subsequent prognosis. They were very compassionate to my daughter, my husband, and me. Since we were from out of state and needed a place to stay, it was then that we learned of David's House. Words cannot express how thankful we were to have this amazing house and all of the amenities available to us. My husband remarked about how peaceful and tranquil it was to wake up in the morning in this beautiful room and look out the window to see the glistening of the freshly fallen snow. This was something that was truly needed in the midst of our despair and traumatic time. It still brings us to tears when we think about this wonderful house and how it came to be. The volunteers working at David's House and those who support it through monetary donations have no idea what an impact they have on families like us who suddenly find their lives turned upside down.

Once again, we thank you for your wonderful work. We will never forget David's House and the love that was shared with us during that time.

Sincerely,

Cathy Staszczyk, Hillsborough, NJ.

Hello there. This is Kymmy Bent. My son Christopher was born with gastroschisis 6 years ago and through all the hardships we encountered during that time you guys were there. Like angels sent from heaven, you were there. There is no possible way to thank you all for what you've done for our family. We just wanted to send a recent picture of Christopher for you and give you a little update. He is 6 years old now and health as can be (well, we do have precautions). He still sleeps with the quilt made by one of the ladies that was there for us. We thank you again for giving us shelter and hope while we were there - it was the glue that held us together. God bless you all for the love and comfort you give people.

Sincerely,

Kymmy Bent,

I have been involved with David’s House for well over fifteen years now, all because of the annual KIXX Giving Trees Radiothon held each year just before Christmas. The involvement with this event has led me from event volunteer to where I am today, the Vice President of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Development Committee.
Hearing the stories of families, and talking to the hundreds of donors who give annually at this event and support others throughout the year, pulls at your heart strings with both joy and sorrow. Just thinking of this as I write brings tears to my eyes.
While I have not had children, I thank God every day that I do not know anyone right now who needs to use David's House, and I thank God every day that it is there for those that do need it. It's always with mixed feelings that I am thankful we can help these families but am so sad for them that there is a need for them to be here.
The time I give is but a small sacrifice to help bring some sort of comfort and ease of worry to families in need of David's House.  I am very happy that I'm able to do at least that, and feel it is never enough.
Being a part of David's House and a Board Member is by far the highest honor yet bestowed upon me in my lifetime, and it is heartfelt when I say thank you for letting me be a part of this little boy's dream.

April May Preston
Vice President

It all started when I was eight years old. I was sleeping and then I woke up with a pain in
my hands. My parents tried everything but nothing worked – the pain always came back.
So then I went to the Elliot Hospital and then was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic
Leukemia (ALL for short)/ I was then transferred to Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth
(CHAD for short). After 3-4 weeks of being treated I got to go home. During my
radiation is the first time I went to David’s House.  Everybody is so nice and friendly and
every time I need a place to stay for a few days I always think about David’s House.  On
my eleventh birthday, instead of getting presents like every other boy and girl wants, I
decided my party would be to raise money for David’s House because they always help
everyone else so I just wanted to give back. That day I raised $868 for David’s House.
Now it’s 2007 and I don’t have leukemia anymore, but I still go and visit David’s House
when I go for check-ups in Lebanon.
 
David’s House means a lot to me because it’s like a home away from home. Your family
can stay together and you also you get to meet kids that have been through the same thing as you and know how it feels to be different from kids that aren’t sick. David’s House means so
much to me that sometimes I wish I could just live there because all of the people and
kids there know what it feels like to have cancer.
 
I want to thank you ladies for donating to David’s House because I’ve been involved in
fundraisers at my school for David’s House and its very important to keep David’s House
open.
 
Thank you very much.
 
Carol Shepard