The mission of Lucy’s Love Bus is to deliver joy, comfort, and quality of life to children with cancer and their families through free integrative therapies.
We do this through our programs:
Lucy's Children™
We offer funding on an individual basis to children with cancer in New England for integrative therapies in their home, at the hospital, or on hospice. We pay for complementary therapies including: massage, acupuncture, music and art therapy, or lessons, therapeutic horseback riding/hippotherapy, fertility preservation, gymnastics/cheerleading, gym membership or personal training, meditation, Reiki, swimming/aquatic therapy, and yoga.
Sajni's Siblings
Our Sajni’s Siblings program embraces the siblings of children with cancer through opportunities to create happy memories during a very lonely and difficult time. This program offers siblings of Lucy’s Children participants so that the sick child and their sibling(s) can participate in integrative therapies and activities together to facilitate bonding time outside of the hospital or home, or provides the sibling(s) with a chance to engage in a solo activity focused on their own needs and fulfillment. This program also supports bereaved siblings, allowing them a chance to participate in an activity to support them in the grieving process.
Group Programs (Amesbury & Andover MA and virtual)
Our group programs create space – virtually and in-person – for families to gather, grow, and thrive together through innovative programming that helps children with cancer manage their pain and anxiety, provides their siblings with tools to aid in coping with their sibling’s illness, and offers parents the opportunity to share with others going through similar journeys.
The Healing Room™ (in hospitals)
Offering integrative therapies in New England hospitals. Currently offered at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston, and Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence. Coming soon to UMass Memorial Children's Medical Center in Worcester.
Ilene's Caregivers
Completing the circle of caring at Lucy’s Love Bus by providing essential support services for our Love Bus children’s parents, guardians, and caregivers. Ilene’s Caregivers offers a menu of self-care and respite options to support parents and caregivers through the long journey of caring for a very sick child and their sibling(s).
Previous programming: Lucy’s Emergency Fund
Created in response to the COVID-19 crisis, Lucy's Love Bus created Lucy's Emergency Fund to cover the urgent needs of the families we serve by paying for basic necessities. This program ran from early 2020 through December 2021 and provided $341,908.87 in emergency payments for housing, utilities, and gift cards to gas stations, grocery stores, and pharmacies. Thanks to our amazing funders and donors for making this possible!
