DAVID'S HOUSE offers a comfortable home-away-from-home for children receiving treatment through Children's Hospital at Dartmouth at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H. Children aren't medical patients or motel guests at David's House; they are part of their own family in a quality home-like atmosphere. When the child cannot leave the Medical Center, David's House is for the families of these children--a retreat where they can stay to find, and give, support to their child and to each other.
DAVID'S HOUSE is a gift from the people and businesses of northern New England to all the parents and children who come to the Medical Center.
OUR MISSION STATEMENT: To provide a home-away-from-home and support for families with children receiving treatment through Children's Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
DAVID'S HOUSE is named in memory of a remarkable little
boy--David Cyr. He was just 22 months old and still in the process
of being adopted by Dick and Gerry Cyr of Hartland, Vt., when
doctors discovered he had acute lymphocytic leukemia. That news
only strengthened the Cyrs' resolve to adopt this special little
boy and increase the love they already felt so deeply for him.
Cancer did little to stop David's love for life. He had a zest for living that touched all those around him.
Because of his frequent visits to the Medical Center, David became friends with other children undergoing treatment there. When he went home, David dreamed of taking these children with him to his house -- his haven from pain and suffering. During David's treatments, the Cyrs met parents of these children -- people who sometimes had to sleep in waiting rooms or in their cars because they couldn't afford a motel room. The Cyrs also began dreaming about creating a haven -- one where these families could stay. DAVID'S HOUSE is that dream.
When David died in 1984, the Cyrs dedicated their time to creating this haven.