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Family Stories
Hear from families that have used services with Annie’s Place.
Meet Waylan and Joyce
Lucy was referred to Annie's Place by the WISH clinic at Parkland (Women & Infants Specialty Health). Getting to her appointments was difficult with two young children, 9-month-old Waylan and 2-year-old Joyce, because she had no one to help take care of them while her husband was at work. She was surprised to learn that Annie's Place was available at no cost to her and delighted to discover how beautiful, warm and welcoming it was. She praised the teachers for making her feel confident in her kids' safety while she was at appointments, which freed her up to concentrates on the importance of making progress in her own health. "I love Annie’s place just as much as my kids," she said. "It is such a great program. I can get to all of my appointments and finally take care of myself so I can be healthy for my children. Thank you so much, Annie’s Place! I don't know what I would do without this program."
Meet Hadley and John
Marisa was referred to Annie's Place by The Magdalen House, a nonprofit partner of Annie’s Place that helps women achieve sobriety and sustain recovery from alcoholism at no cost. In order to participate in Next Step, a three-phase, nonresidential part of the program, Marisa needed childcare for her 2-year-old twins, Hadley and John. Since Annie’s Place recognizes addiction as a medical condition, childcare at Parkland offered the ideal solution. Over the following few months, Hadley and John thrived at Annie's Place. They loved to explore during sensory play, and their favorite activities were arts and crafts. Marisa shared that they always left Annie's Place happy. She continually encourages others to visit Annie's Place given that it made such a difference in her life, allowing her to participate in the next crucial step in her recovery process.
Meet Evan and Elian
Diana is a busy mom who, in addition to caring for her sons, 8-month-old Evan and 2-year-old Elian, is the primary caregiver to her own mom going through a serious health crisis. Before Diana became aware of Annie's Place, she often had to rely on her husband taking time off work to look after the kids so Diana could take her mom to frequent medical appointments. Eventually, her husband, the primary source of financial support for the family, maxed out his available time off and was told he would not be able to miss any more days from work. It added to an already stressful time, and Diana was preoccupied with concerns over the care of her children as well as the family's finances, given the risk of her husband losing his job. The clinic at Parkland where Diana's mom was receiving treatment told Diana about Annie's Place, and she immediately called to inquire about it. To the family's relief, Evan and Elian were welcomed into Annie's Place quickly and easily so Diana could focus on her mom’s appointments and her husband could focus on work. ”This service is marvelous," Diana said. "I can leave my children with confidence because I know they are being cared for by the best teachers. Everything they do is with love. A thousand thank you's to Annie’s Place!”.
Meet Jeremiah
Raquel can still remember the rain on her face as she struggled to walk from the parking garage to her medical appointment. Her feet were beginning to collapse beneath her. Raquel suffers from chronic kidney issues, Lupus, high blood pressure and diabetes. She had already missed several appointments because she didn’t have childcare for her 9-year-old son, Jeremiah. Prior to the pandemic, she scheduled appointments when Jeremiah was in school, but during Covid he became an at-home learner. On this particular day, she knew she needed to see the doctor urgently, so she made the difficult decision to leave Jeremiah alone in the car. “I wanted to make sure my son was safe, but I also needed to keep this appointment, so that's why I made that choice.” She told him, “I'll be right back, so don't open the door or talk to anyone.” She didn’t return. Her iron level was dangerously low, and she had to be admitted immediately. Medical staff broke Covid protocols and brought Jeremiah into the clinic, but not without significant effort to locate the car and not without the trauma to Jeremiah of coaxing him into going against his mother’s instructions. With the help of Child Protective Services, Raquel found a friend to take her son temporarily, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to rely on this as a sustainable solution. Choosing between her own health and her son’s safety was literally killing her. That’s when she learned about Annie’s Place. “It was a Godsend.” Over the past six months, Raquel’s situation has improved significantly. She has been able to keep all of her medical appointments because she has had a safe place to leave Jeremiah. Her health has improved dramatically. She is on proper medications and doesn’t have to see doctors as frequently. “It has helped me just knowing that he’s okay. I can go to my appointments and just have a weight lifted. I think we underestimate how much stress parents carry when they worry about their kids.
Meet Erick
After 5-year-old Erick was dropped off at school in spring of 2021, his mom learned she had Leukemia and spent the following two weeks in the hospital. Erick became fearful of ever going to school, worrying that his mom wouldn't return. He struggled with socializing and making friends. Then over summer break, they discovered Annie’s Place, where Erick thrived while his mom endured chemotherapy appointments. Erick started begging to go back to Annie’s Place every day, giving his mom the peace of mind to drop him off without worrying about the trauma he had experienced at school. Erick’s mom said he shot out of bed on days when he knew he was going to Annie’s Place, giving her a sense of relief about leaving him for her appointments. He loved painting and creating artwork at Annie’s Place. Best of all, by the start of school that fall, he had overcome his fear of morning drop-off. He even brought his school uniform to Annie’s Place to show his teachers what he would be wearing during the upcoming school year. It was a proud moment for Erick.
Meet Eden
Eden and her twin brother, Ezekiel, were born about three months premature and had to be admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). Baby Eden was able to go home before her brother, but she wasn’t allowed back into the NICU when her mom was visiting Ezekiel due to hospital policy. Luckily, the clinic referred the family to Annie’s Place, which allowed Eden to be cared for in a safe, loving environment while her mom spent time with Ezekiel. Eden came to Annie’s Place every day for a month, where she shared her sweet smile and warm snuggles, bringing joy to every staff member who had the pleasure of meeting her. Mom shared that using Annie’s Place was “smooth sailing” and said she didn’t know how else she would have been able to visit her other child. It made a meaningful difference for everyone in the family by alleviating stress, freeing Mom up to nurture her son when he needed her most, and giving Eden a quality childcare experience when she was away from her mom and twin brother. Ezekiel was eventually able to go home, too.
Meet Jhonefe and Ashley
During much of 2020 when the pandemic caused lockdowns, only one parent at a time was allowed in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) to visit the babies. When this rule was lifted and both parents were finally allowed to be with their baby again, Annie’s Place provided childcare for siblings of the NICU babies so both parents could be present. Jhonefe, 11, and his sister Ashley, 8, were two of those siblings. During the summer of 2021, Jhonefe and Ashley spent nearly eight weeks at Annie’s Place and eventually their baby brother was strong enough to come home. Their teachers remember how sweet and supportive they were to each other. “They had a great sibling relationship, and they set such good examples for all the other kids.” That fall, Jhonefe and Ashley went back to school, but their Annie’s Place teachers remember them fondly, especially their love of dramatic play. “They played with those puppets nonstop!”
Meet Zenobia and Machai
When a patient fails to show up for a treatment, surgery or appointment, the cost to the hospital system is significant. As Annie’s Place was under construction, Parkland started asking about childcare as one of many possible reasons why patients missed appointments and realized that in half of all cases, childcare was indeed the barrier to patients getting the treatment they needed. When Whitney was a no-show for her chemotherapy appointment, her MyChart record was flagged, and it was discovered that lack of childcare was the cause. Annie’s Place was contacted and put in touch with her. She was yet another example of an oncology patient who put off her own care because she had no childcare. She had missed several appointments until the staff at Annie’s Place was looped in and reached out to her. She was surprised to learn that she could drop off 4-year-old Zenobia and 2-year-old Machai at this bright, beautiful, brand-new facility on the Parkland campus, free of charge, when she came in for her treatments. She hasn’t missed an appointment since! Best of all, Zenobia and Machai developed a close connection with their teachers at Annie’s Place and eagerly awaited every visit, giving Whitney the peace of mind to focus on her own treatments.
Meet Andrea’s Family
Andrea, a medical practice assistant who works in the diabetes and infectious diseases clinics at Parkland, is a busy mom of three kids, ages 5, 7 and 9. When the kids aren’t in school, Andrea relies on family to help her out. The week before school started back in the fall of 2021, she was in a bind and couldn’t get help. Her department was already short-staffed that week and she did not have the option to take personal time off. She did not want to let her department down, and she was desperate to find someone to watch her kids so she could get to work. Her colleagues had recently been made aware of Annie’s Place. In fact, they had been providing information about it as a resource to many of their patients over the previous month. Staff members suggested she call Annie’s Place “just to see,” and to their delight, they learned that respite childcare was avaiat Annie’s Place for healthcare workers in just such a predicament. It took only a few minutes for Andrea to fill out the online enrollment form, and just like that, her kids were in! She was surprised by what a nice facility it was and couldn’t believe it was complimentary. Plus, it was less than five minutes from where she worked on the Parkland campus. “This place is a God send,” Andrea said. “I can’t even get over it, honestly!” Her supervisor was equally appreciative. “I truly just want to say thank you for this service for our staff because we would have been a mess around here that week.”
Meet Zahara and Zion
For the second time in six years, Tinashe Mabvundwe received a scary and life changing diagnosis of cancer. But this time, he has two more reasons to worry: three-year-old Zahara and two-year-old Zion. “Having two kids and a wife who had just started working and no one to look after our kids...we saw our world collapsing in front of our eyes.” Fortunately for the Mabvundwe family, Mommies In Need’s flagship drop-off childcare center Annie’s Place is just down the street from where Tinashe receives his cancer treatment. He credits his social worker at Parkland for making him aware of the childcare center he calls “a blessing with the name of Annie’s Place.” A licensed director, a play therapist and specially trained teachers are on-site at Annie’s Place to care for kids so their families can get the healthcare they need - whether that is chemotherapy, physical therapy or routine doctor’s appointments. Mommies In Need believes childcare shouldn’t be a barrier to healthcare. “The team at Annie’s Place started caring for our kids for my next appointment, and it really took all the stress away,” Tinashe explained. “I managed to attend all my appointments with a relaxed mind.” And even though the name is Mommies In Need, the help extends to father, grandparents and other guardians too. Daddies like Tinashe are grateful for the support. “As a father, my primary concern is my children. Their safety will always come first. And knowing there is an organization that provides the same level of care for my kids just calms my nerves in all the good ways and keeps me positive during my treatment.”