Since the beginning, Lucy’s Love Bus has been about meeting children with cancer and their families where they are—with compassion, creativity, and care. As we enter our third decade, we’re reimagining how our outward identity can better match the depth, diversity, and impact of our work today.
In 2026, we’ll mark 20 years since Lucy Grogan and her mom, Beecher, founded Lucy’s Love Bus from Lucy’s hospital bed. Diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at age 8, Lucy endured four years of treatment. The community of Amesbury, Mass. – Lucy’s home then, and still our home now – rallied around her family with meals, care packages, and fundraisers, making it possible for Lucy to access integrative therapies like acupuncture, massage, Reiki, and art—therapies that eased her suffering and brought her joy.
During treatment, acupuncture was one of the few things that eased Lucy’s nausea. Looking out the window from her bed at Tufts Children’s Hospital, she asked her mom, “Mama, if we’re in Chinatown, why can’t I get acupuncture?” Lucy understood that chemotherapy addressed the cancer, and acupuncture helped her cope with treatment—so both were medicine. But her mom explained that while insurance covered traditional medicine like chemo, it didn’t cover the therapies that soothed her mind and spirit – those were only possible because her community had raised money for them.
Realizing that many of her friends went without these therapies simply because they lacked financial means, Lucy made it her mission to change that. She dreamed of creating something that would “deliver” comfort and love to kids like her—those suffering right now, for whom a cure might come too late. That’s why she named it Lucy’s Love Bus.
Today, Lucy’s wisdom still guides us: children’s needs come first, always. As the final piece of the extended leadership transition prior to Beecher’s departure, she formally requested that the organization adopt a new name– one that would feel more universal and inclusive, honoring not just Lucy, but all the children touched by our work. With our 20th anniversary ahead, it’s the perfect time to embrace this evolution. A dedicated grant from the Cummings Foundation is funding the rebrand, so no program dollars are diverted.
This change is not about leaving Lucy behind—it’s about carrying her mission forward. Our rebrand will help us reflect the depth and diversity of our work, reach more families, and ensure every child can see themselves in our name. What will never change is our heart, our commitment, and the personal way we walk alongside the families we serve—through treatment and beyond. Always.
