In a moving ceremony, attended by very special VIP’s including Child Life Society staff, and local and international dignitaries, a new respite home was officially opened to visits by families with Cystic Fibrosis patients and other lung dysfunctions.

Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disease that often affects multiple people in a family, which causes extensive mucus buildup in the lungs and requires patients to take frequent treatments and medications just to be able to keep breathing and digest food.

Founded 18 years ago, the Child Life Society’s mission is to support these patients and their families in every way possible. A key component of this is to offer the families a respite from their daily struggles with the disease, with a program appropriate called Lifeshine Respite.

The program involves sending patients and their families on all-expense paid trips to custom-renovated built luxury respite homes in Key West Florida. Furnished with the highest attention to detail and based off doctor’s recommendations, every part of the house is designed to prevent irritants from affecting patient’s delicate lungs.

The unpolluted sea air, high humidity, and increased concentrations of salt in the air naturally form an environment where patients experience significant relief. A private salt-system pool behind each house further adds to the healing process. And the fact that every aspect of the trip is taken care of by the organization, from flights, to car rentals, to local activities, means the families, especially the parents, are able to forget about their stress during the entire experience.

Normally, parents are so focused on their sick child that the healthy siblings don’t get the attention they need. The supportive environment allows the entire family to bond and reconnect like any other family. The fact that the house is fully equipped with all disposable dishes included pots pans utensils paper goods medical equipment, means they don’t need to worry about these aspects either during the length of their stay.

Child Life Society first started the program as a pilot in 2008, and have seen tremendous results since then. Participants gain weight, and see increases in their appetite. The kids get more exercise – riding bikes when they could barely walk down the street. Their morale improves as well: children are often reluctant normally to go to school, and afterwards they are far more motivated to do their exercises and participate in school – especially when incentivized the promise of return the following year.

The unveiling of this second house is an important milestone for the organization, allow them to support twice as many families as before. But the organization has big plans for the future, and is currently raising funds and making plans for building additional homes.

Lear more about the organization’s important work here: childlifesociety.org

To donate, visit their site and make a contribution.