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
Nora
At just six weeks old, her parents noticed a lump had suddenly emerged on Nora’s left arm. They took her to the pediatrician the very next day. After weeks of X-rays, Ultrasounds, an MRI, and a biopsy, they were told that Nora’s mass was cancerous.
Nora has what is called a round cell sarcoma, and the diagnosis of this cancer in such a young baby is one in a million. Nora began chemotherapy treatments two days after being admitted to the hospital.
She will continue to receive chemotherapy treatments in order to make her mass a more manageable size for surgical removal.
“We are thankful for the Yellow Door Foundation, as we will be spending at least the next year going back and forth to the hospital. Since we live out of town, being able to stay nearby is such a blessing.”