The Gift of Independence
Every family who arrives at Amy's House has a different story, but they all have something in common. Their lives have been interrupted. This month alone, our guests include families facing kidney transplants, heart transplants, and cancer treatments. Some are waiting for the call that a life-saving organ has become available. Others are traveling daily for chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or follow-up care. One family is caring for a loved one recovering from heart surgery while awaiting a kidney transplant. When serious illness enters a family's life, so much independence is lost. Plans are replaced with appointments. Home is replaced with hospital rooms. Days are measured by lab results, medications, and uncertainty rather than ordinary routines.
At Amy's House, we cannot change a diagnosis. What we can do is restore a small but meaningful piece of normal life. Here, families prepare meals in a shared kitchen instead of relying on expensive restaurants. They wash clothes after long hospital days. They gather around the dinner table, sleep in a quiet room, and wake up only minutes from Baylor Scott & White Medical Center instead of driving hours each morning. These everyday moments may seem simple, but for someone facing cancer or awaiting a transplant, they represent something much larger. They represent independence.
During July, Amy's House is honored to serve families facing:
11 Kidney Transplant stays
5 Heart Transplant stays
7 Cancer-related stays
1 Family recovering from heart surgery while awaiting a kidney transplant
What we find is that sometimes healing begins with something as simple as having a place to call home. Behind every stay, is a spouse sleeping a little easier. A caregiver able to rest before another long day. A patient who can focus on healing instead of worrying about where they will stay or how they will afford another hotel bill. Because of your generosity, families don't have to face these challenges alone. Your support provides more than lodging. It provides dignity, comfort, and the freedom for families to focus on what matters most—healing together.
Thank you for making independence possible when it is needed most.
Sincerely,
Phyllis Renfrow
Executive Director
Amy’s House Foundation