GIVE BIG FOR MAPLE LEAF FOUNDATION

OUR MISSION

Maple Leaf Foundation is a grassroots, nonprofit organization founded in January of 2022. We work directly with Maple Leaf Real Estate and Seattle Children's Hospital to create affordable, nurturing, child-centered housing for families who must relocate to Seattle for long term pediatric cancer care and heart transplants. The majority of our families are low to

ONE FAMILY'S STORY

Hi, I'm Colin. 

I'm 14-years old and I've been fighting Acute Myeloid Leukemia since August 2022. 

I love to play songs on my acoustic guitar. When I was in the hospital the nurses and staff said that they loved hearing my music through the hallways. 

I am the second of five siblings. We homeschool together, play Uno and watch movies. 

Being apart from my siblings for months during treatment felt really hard for my mom and I. My youngest siblings couldn't even visit due to hospital rules. 

This January, my 6-year-old sister June became my bone marrow donor and we got to spend time in the same hospital room. People say they noticed a difference in my mood when she was near. 

Now I'm done with in-patient treatment but need to stay within 30-miles of Seattle Children's Hospital at all times for 100 days...that means I can't go home for a long time.  

Luckily, we are now all staying at a Maple Leaf Foundation house. I'm so glad that we can be together as a family again, watching movies and making up games. I'm even teaching June to play guitar.  - COLIN

Hi! I'm June,

I'm 6-years old. 

Being my big brother Colin's bone marrow donor made me sick, but it was the best because I was finally able to spend time with him in the hospital. I missed him so much!

Before we moved into the Maple Leaf Foundation House it was so hard to be apart for so long! 

I missed Colin and my mom being home, eating meals together and working on my homework and giving me hugs. Once we moved into our Maple Leaf House close to the hospital, my mom could come home way more often!  

I'm so glad that we are all home together as a family now in our Maple Leaf Foundation House. My room here is the cutest and it came with books that I love. There is a climbing tree right out my window. 

I am just so happy that we can all be together again!

- JUNE

Hello, my name is Wendy,

I am the Social Worker at Seattle Children's Hospital who worked with Colin and his family during his bone marrow transplant. When we told Colin's family that they would need to relocate within thirty minutes of the hospital for six months, they were shocked.

Staying together became top priority. 

Unfortunately, most families must separate due to the high cost of such a move. Even the price of groceries in Seattle comes as a shock to many out-of-town families we work with!

Luckily, a Maple Leaf Foundation house became available allowing Colin's family to be together at a minimal cost. There was such a sense of relief that came from access to this home!

Pediatric cancer is emotionally and physically draining for the entire family. The hospital is not a restful environment. Being able to return to a comfortable home, surrounded by family, is a huge relief and source of healing for everyone involved!

I'm so glad that we finally have an option like Maple Leaf Foundation to offer our families and am excited for it to grow with additional community support!

Sincerely,

Wendy 

Wendy Datlow, LICSW

Social Worker | Hematology + Oncology

Seattle Children's

OUR STORY

When a child needs to access to the kind of specialized pediatric cancer or cardiac care that Seattle Children's Hospital can provide, they must immediately relocate within a 30- minute drive to Seattle Children’s Hospital for 6 months to a year.

Most families are forced to split up during the most stressful times of their lives, removing the emotional support system the family unit provides. 

Maple Leaf Foundation has a solution. We keep families together. 

By creating a space of rest, hope and healing for children and families of all backgrounds, we hope to transform health outcomes for the whole family.

We know that these families have a long road ahead. Their journey is not a sprint…it’s a marathon, so we turn enduring, into endurance.