Love for Ladybug House

"If we cannot add days to the life of a child, we will add life to their days."

This is the mission of the Ladybug House, a non-profit organization with the goal to build a freestanding community-based Palliative Care and Hospice Home for Children and Young Adults in Seattle. 

Every year, 53,000 children die in America, over 80% in hospitals. The Ladybug House would allow some of those 42,000 kids in hospitals to enjoy the last moments of life. Ladybug House will be a sanctuary for kids and families, surrounded by a comforting and serene natural landscape, where children with life-limiting illnesses can be kids! Children and their families will be supported physically, psychologically, socially and spiritually throughout their difficult journeys. 

At Ladybug House, medical professionals will deliver 24/7 quality respite and hospice care and will be available from the point of diagnosis through recovery or bereavement. They will follow state-of-the art palliative care protocols, supervised by a board certified physician in partnership with nurses trained in hospice care. There will be child life specialists, bereavement specialists, teachers and other support staff. Ladybug House will also offer family suites, a variety of therapy rooms for music, art and sensory exploration, a media facility and even a kennel for pets. LBH envisions a family style kitchen and a full-time cook, as well as amenities for families and guests to prepare their own food favorites. Imagine indoor and outdoor areas for meditation and reflection, a physical therapy area and an interactive, outdoor covered playground. 

A place like Ladybug House is needed. Imagine what this home would mean to your family if your child had a life-limiting illness. We can all help make this happen. In the United States there are only two palliative care homes for children: George Mark Children’s House in San Leandro, CA and Ryan House in Phoenix, AZ. In the United Kingdom there are 49 homes and our neighbors in Vancouver, BC just built their second home. The purpose of Ladybug House is to become a national palliative care leader for children and young adults with life-limiting illnesses, inspiring similar homes in cities and towns across America. We can all help make Ladybug House a reality. Thank you for taking the energy to learn, and thank you for your support. 

Our fundraising team consists of the two of us, Zack and Hanna. We are both students at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, about an hour and a half south of Seattle, which will soon be the home of LBH. We are not associated with LBH, just deep supporters. We hope that you too, have found Love for Ladybug House. Much of our information comes from www.ladybughouse.org. Visit the website to learn more. Thank you again so much for reading.