{"id":4064,"date":"2023-09-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-06T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/familyhouseinc.org\/article\/finding-peace-at-family-house\/"},"modified":"2025-09-15T16:55:01","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T23:55:01","slug":"finding-peace-at-family-house","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/familyhouseinc.org\/tl\/article\/finding-peace-at-family-house\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Peace at Family House"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\n

Family House made a world of difference to Shelby and her family. Shelby\u2019s 4-year-old son Stryder was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma in January 2022. Since then, Shelby\u2019s family has come from Lodi, California to stay at Family House while Stryder receives treatment at UCSF Benioff Children\u2019s Hospital<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t\n

\u201cHaving people who truly care about me, my child, and our entire family makes a world of difference while going through something so difficult,\u201d said Shelby. She was terrified when she learned that her then 2-year-old had cancer, and that his treatment would require them to be away from home for weeks or months at a time. Family House helped relieve some of her fear, and over time, she\u2019s come to count on the people of Family House to help them get through the toughest times.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t\n

\u201cWe have stayed at Family House too many times to count now,\u201d said Shelby. \u201cTruly, it\u2019s our home away from home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t\n

Stryder\u2019s Journey<\/h2>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t\n
\"Photo<\/a><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t\n

Nearly two years ago, Stryder was hospitalized for urgent care after rapidly losing weight and becoming extremely weak. Doctors at UC Davis Children\u2019s Hospital discovered several tumors in his abdomen. After further testing, Stryder was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a type of cancer that develops in nerve tissue and most commonly affects children under age 5.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t\n

Shelby and her family learned that Stryder\u2019s treatment plan would include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation, and that some of his treatment would be performed by doctors at UCSF Benioff Children\u2019s Hospital<\/a> in San Francisco, which would require Stryder to be away from home for up to several months at a time.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t\n

\u201cYou have so much being thrown at you. The worry of what is to come for your child and the added stress of how you are going to make it all work amid treatment is terrifying,\u201d said Shelby.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t\n

\u201cWhen we learned about Family House, a weight was lifted off our chest. We didn\u2019t have the financial burden of securing housing, and we could stay together in a safe space close to the hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t\n

Finding Peace at Family House<\/h2>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t\n
\"Photo<\/a><\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t\n

From day one, Family House welcomed Stryder\u2019s family\u2014mom Shelby, dad Cory, and 1-year-old baby sister Mary\u2014with open arms. Their initial stay at Family House lasted nearly three months. Stryder was hospitalized during most of that time. Mary missed her brother dearly and was sad and lonely. Her big brother is her entire world. She missed being at home with him, playing hide-and-seek, building ginormous castles, and playing in their toy kitchen.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t\n

At Family House, hospitality team members Diana and Vanessa befriended Mary and helped her feel better by playing with her and taking her to Fozzy\u2019s toy room for a special treat.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t\n

When Stryder was discharged from the hospital, he too got to know and love Family House. During his stay, Stryder and Mary attended last year\u2019s Halloween party together. Stryder ran around making many new friends with his little sister tagging right alongside. \u201cIt was definitely one of his best nights,\u201d Shelby remembered fondly.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t\n

The last time Stryder stepped in the door at Family House he ran to say hello to everyone. He was so excited he jumped into Monica\u2019s arms at the front desk and gave her a big hug.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t\n

\u201cThese people really made an impact on my children, and I could not be more grateful for the love they\u2019ve shown both of my babies,\u201d said Shelby.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t\n

\u201cFamily House is a place where we can find peace. It is a safe place for our child to run and play while he\u2019s not in the hospital, and it\u2019s a place where siblings are thoughtfully included every step of the way,\u201d said Shelby. \u201cThe staff at Family House really did become part of our extended family. I cannot tell you the number of times I cried to Vanessa or Diana [Family House staff members] when things were really rough. Every time we come back, everyone welcomes us with open arms, warm hugs, and lots of smiles.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t\n

Today, Stryder continues his treatment at UCSF Benioff Children\u2019s Hospital<\/a>. Earlier this month, Stryder\u2019s family stayed at Family House for the week, with plans to visit again for another treatment in October.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\t\n

\u201cFamily House is more than just a place to stay. It is a place of love and friendship, where you can break down and they are right there to help you through it,\u201d said Shelby. \u201cStryder is still fighting and fighting hard. Although we don\u2019t know what comes after this next treatment, if we find ourselves back at UCSF Benioff Children\u2019s Hospital<\/a>, we know that Family House will always be our safe place, our home away from home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"parent":0,"template":"","class_list":["post-4064","article","type-article","status-publish","hentry","article-type-story","article-category-family-stories"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/familyhouseinc.org\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/4064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/familyhouseinc.org\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/familyhouseinc.org\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/familyhouseinc.org\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/4064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5183,"href":"https:\/\/familyhouseinc.org\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/article\/4064\/revisions\/5183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/familyhouseinc.org\/tl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}