It All Begins With ME!
Lily's Pad
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The mission of Lily’s Pad is to provide immunocompromised children a clean environment where they can enjoy typical childhood activities while also offering their caregivers and parents a place to rest and connect.
Lily’s Pad came to life in the mind of Brad Taylor, whose then three-year-old daughter, Lily, was diagnosed with high-risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in December of 2017
This immune compromised state forced Lily away from the activities and friends that she loved, and it became increasingly difficult to motivate her to go to the hospital to receive her treatments. She had to give up seeing her peers, going to public places and what she loved to do the most, play on a public playground with other “new friends”. Lily’s parents struggled to find ways to keep her occupied, happy, and recovering not only from the disease but from the psychological struggles that came with Lily being confined to her home.
Lily spent just over a month living in Banner Children’s at Desert Hospital fighting to become stable enough to begin her outpatient treatment program, a program she would undergo for the next two and a half years.
As Lily’s treatment progressed, the chemotherapy she received daily attacked not only the cancer she was fighting but also her immune system.
It became obvious to Lily’s family that there was a missing piece in the treatment plan for these young patients battling an autoimmune state, and with that as their driving force, the concept of Lily’s Pad was born.
Today, Lily is eight-years old and cancer free, but Brad and his family are working hard to make the world a better place for other families with children who are living with these conditions.
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The mission of Lily’s Pad is to provide immunocompromised children a clean environment where they can enjoy typical childhood activities while also offering their caregivers and parents a place to rest and connect. Our ultimate goal is to build a hyperclean, indoor playground that will put a focus on the mental and emotional health of children in medical battles.
In May of 2022, we officially found a new location in Tempe, AZ to build our facility and we are so excited to get this project back on track! This new space boasts awesome high ceilings just perfect for playground equipment and we are eagerly working to fit our design into this new space. It is our dream to open by the end of 2022 and we are pushing hard to reach that goal.
In April of 2020 we were fortunate enough to receive a donated space that we could renovate for our facility, and we immediately went to work raising funds and securing an architectural and design team. We were on the brink of beginning construction when the building we were in was sold to new owners. The new plans for that building include demolition and a long-term repurposing of the space for multifamily housing. We were faced with the sad news... Lily’s Pad was going to need to find a new home.
Our Journey...
Going
Forward...
Once built, our facility will partner with many other nonprofits to provide services and resources to this isolated community. We believe that providing opportunities to gather with other families dealing with some of the same situations will provide a much-needed sense of community among kids and their families typically living quarantined from others. We will be providing counseling options and play therapy for the children and their caregivers while allowing kids to socialize with one another in a safe and clean environment.
...Imagine a childhood without play, without friends. Now imagine living that way while battling terrible diseases such as cancer, congenital heart defects, autoimmune deficiencies and more. We can work together to heal the spirits of these kids and give them back a piece of their childhood.
Currently, we need professionals who would be willing to provide their expertise for our buildout. Contractors, electricians, plumbers, and skilled laborers who are willing to donate their time and resources to helping us build Lily’s Pad should contact Dawn@LilysPadAZ.org. Additionally, donations can be made at LilysPadAZ.org/donate These contributions will help us build our facility as well as continue to provide outreach services to families living in isolation.
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Brad Taylor
Founder
Lily's Pad
For more information, or to support Lily's Pad:
Website: LilysPadAZ.org
Facebook: Facebook.com/LilysPadAZ
Instagram: Instagram.com/LilysPadAZ
Twitter: Twitter.com/LilysPadAZ
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