OUR STORY
LilyPads Housing provides holistic care for UVA Children's Hospital Families
LilyPads is a non-profit organization working to bring greater housing options and more holistic support to UVA Children's Hospital families. We provide free, short-term housing in volunteer host homes and donated apartments for out-of-town families traveling to receive care for their children at UVA Children's Hospital. The compassionate, 'home away from home' experiences that we provide bring emotional and financial relief to families in need. We also understand that housing isn't the only obstacle that families face during their medical stay. In addition to housing, we also provide holistic supports for families, such as childcare, sibling activities, meals, groceries, transportation, haircuts, toiletries, and other self-care activities & items.
LilyPads Housing serves families regardless of age, diagnosis, race, ethnicity, citizenship, religion, income level, gender identity, sexual orientation, or ability. We work tirelessly to improve access to medical treatment by providing a safe, caring place to call home during a difficult time. We host people from all over the country and enable them to receive the care they need.
OUR HISTORY
Lily Koym was just four months old when her parents, Jen and Todd Koym, were told she had a rare, often-terminal congenital heart defect (CHD). For her first five weeks, Lily had been hospitalized in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the University of Virginia, fighting for her life.
On that day, their local surgeon said, “We think you should take your daughter home and enjoy what time you have left with her.” Thankfully, their cardiologist (and now Board Member), Peter Dean, refused to give up on their sweet daughter. They sought second opinions. Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) gave them the gift of hope; they were willing to perform the urgent, risky open-heart surgery their daughter required.
Unfortunately, they soon realized that finding a surgeon willing to help their daughter was not the only obstacle to medical care they would face. “We quickly tried to reserve a room at one of the two hospital hospitality houses at Boston Children's Hospital, but those houses fill up months in advance. Lily’s surgery was going to require several weeks, if not months, in Boston, and hotel rooms close to the hospital are often upwards of $150/night. That would have been a huge financial burden for us,” recounts Todd.
״Having to worry about finding a place to stay is that last thing that any parent should have to worry about when they are trying to care for a sick child.״
-Jen Koym, Founder of LilyPads Housing
After reaching out to friends and family in Massachusetts, they were connected with Hospitality Homes, an organization dedicated to placing families in need of medical housing with host homes in the greater Boston area. "Within two days, Hospitality Homes had placed us with a volunteer host who was willing to accommodate our stay, no matter how long it ended up being. It was such a relief." Jen and Todd ended up staying three weeks during their first visit to BCH and then ended up needing to return many times over the course of the next few years. Each visit, they stayed with volunteer hosts through Hospitality Homes. "Hosts didn't just provide us with a place to stay. They also provided us with so much emotional and physical support. They helped us navigate around Boston, provided us with meals and laundry, and checked-in on us every day to make sure we were ok. It was truly a wonderful experience."
When they returned home and needed to continue care at UVA Children's Hospital, they met many out-of-town families who were having having a difficult time finding medical housing. “I felt heartsick after learning of a family that was having to sleep in their car in the UVA parking garage,” Jen recalls. “Our Ronald McDonald House was full, and so were all of the hotels in Charlottesville because it was UVA’s graduation weekend. That day, I realized that we needed to do something.”
Jen went to work recruiting doctors, nurses, social workers, non-profit experts, and parents to join the cause. In 2017, founded LilyPads was founded and in 2019 they opened their (host home) doors to their first families. Since then, LilyPads has provided over 1,300 night of free lodging to families in need. Lily Koym is doing amazingly. She just turned nine, enjoys ballet and skiing, and says she is "so glad that people have LilyPads if they need a safe and caring place to stay."