If These Walls Could Talk
Tommy’s Place
Opened in 2023
Tommy’s Place was made possible by a generous anonymous gift and is named in memory of Thomas Shade, a Yellow Door child who fought recurrent osteosarcoma for close to four years before passing away on November 30, 2022. During his four year battle, Tommy and his grandparents and mom stayed in four of our apartments during three separate treatments for close to a total of 700 days. We will always remember his mischievous grin and the sense of humor he was able to carry even on his hardest days. He is greatly missed.
Since opening its doors, Tommy’s House has served as the home of 3 families. It is thoughtfully decorated to reflect Tommy’s love of the Eagles football team, the UVA Basketball team and video games. Nestled at the end of a quiet street, next the The Nest, it looks out over a walking path and wooded area offering families a peaceful place to be together.
Current Resident
Levi
Levi has been battling rhabdomyosarcoma since he was two years old. After a year of chemotherapy and proton radiation it was declared there was no evidence of disease. However, just shy of the one-year cancer free mark, his cancer relapsed.
As treatment options were being sought across the country, he started a course of chemotherapy at UVA Children’s hospital to reduce the size of the tumor. His family, including his two big sisters, stayed at Tommy’s Place with Levi. He loved riding his new bike at the Apartments and was grateful for the gift of normalcy amidst his battle with this rare cancer.