Young architect and cancer survivor led effort
By Sue Thoms
The Grand Rapids Press
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — The first year-round recreational center in the nation specifically designed for kids coping with cancer or serious illness will open in September in Grand Rapids.
The Children’s Healing Center is designed to provide a germ-free environment where kids can play, run around and have fun with their families. The vision for the center was led by Amanda Winn, a young architect and cancer survivor who saw a need for a place where sick kids can just be kids, according to The Grand Rapids Press.
A team of volunteers, donors, medical professionals and families came together to meet that need.
“This will truly be the first of its kind,” said Dr. Beth Kurt, a hematologist and oncologist at Spectrum Health’s Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital who serves on the board of directors. “It’s kind of crazy nobody has thought of it before.”
The Children’s Healing Center, located in the 7,000-square-foot building that once housed Mercy Respite Center, was designed by Winn’s employer, AMDG Architects. It is designed to be a fun, inviting — and safe — place for kids who are sick.
There are no fabrics that could collect dust or mold; furnishings are made of colorful vinyl and other easily cleanable materials. It is wheelchair-accessible, and there are no uneven floors. The center also includes an air filtration system and filtered tap water.
A nurse on staff will screen visitors, who will be advised not to come if they are sick.
The center will help address the social and emotional needs of children with cancer, as well as their siblings, Kurt said. As children go through treatment, they miss out on normal childhood activities — school, field trips, and outings with families.
“I think the center is going to allow the kids to reconnect with their brothers and sisters and their parents — just give them a sense of normalcy again and also to do fun activities,” she said.
Families can join the center for a $40 monthly fee.
A number of organizations have agreed to host programs for the participants, including Brush Studio, the Grand Rapids Art Museum and Seva Yoga. Student volunteers will be provided by Calvin College, Grand Valley State University, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine and Saint Thomas the Apostle School.
On June 24, Brush Studio led a group of children and parents through a painting activity. Some of their artwork will hang in the center when it opens to the public.
Dawn Burgess, a member of the board of directors, said she would have liked to bring her son Braeden to a place like the Children’s Healing Center when he was battling cancer. Braeden died of neuroblastoma at the age of 4 in 2009.
After he had a bone marrow transplant, Braeden often asked to go to Chuck E. Cheese. But a typical indoor play area would have been far too risky with his suppressed immune system, Burgess said.
“All he wanted was a cool place like that,” Burgess said. “He would have loved this place so much.”
The center will include features designed for teenagers, such as a nook with soft seating and a stage, Kurt said. For teens, she said it is especially important to be with others who understand what they are going through.
Winn was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2009, at the age of 21, just after graduating from college. While she was going through treatment, she was touched by the children she saw facing cancer battles. She started her campaign to create a safe, healthy place for them to play.
A $1.8 million fundraising campaign was launched — and it is now 85 percent of the way toward its goal. John Kennedy, president and chief executive officer of Autocam Medical, is co-chair of the capital campaign with his wife, Nancy.
Winn, the executive director of the center, said she is excited to see the place close to opening its doors to the public.
“It’s unbelievable,” she said. “It surpasses anything I could have imagined.”
