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When Carleen began experiencing persistent sciatica pain that soon spread to her back, she knew something wasn’t right. An MRI revealed an unexpected concern with her bone marrow, and a biopsy confirmed her worst fear: acute myeloid leukemia. 

Two cycles of chemotherapy brought the leukemia under control, but her doctors told her that the only lasting cure would be a bone marrow transplant. That meant she and her partner, Willie, would need to relocate from their home in Colorado Springs to Denver—leaving behind their support system just when they needed it most. 

With little time to plan and nowhere to stay during her recovery, Carleen found herself facing yet another daunting challenge.

That’s when they found Brent’s Place.

At Brent’s Place, Carleen and Willie found more than just a roof over their heads. They found a peaceful, fully furnished apartment steps from the hospital, meals that eased their financial and emotional stress, and a compassionate community that lifted their spirits. 

“I loved the activities. We made wine cork boards, painted rocks, and built LEGO flowers. It gave me something to look forward to and made it easy to connect with people,” Carleen shared.

For Carleen, the simple joys—like reading and resting on the balcony or sharing laughter with new friends—became an important part of her healing journey. “I still keep in touch with people I met at Brent’s Place. It meant a lot to me to feel cared for and loved while I was there. I miss it!”

Today, Carleen is on the road to recovery, gaining energy and engaging in activities she loves, like dancing, hiking, and enjoying the outdoors. And no matter what lies ahead, she knows Brent’s Place will always be her home away from home.

Schedule your Colorado Gives Day gift today and support families like Carleen’s.

When Kaye went in for her 20-week anatomy scan, she never expected to hear that something might be wrong with her baby’s heart. A few weeks later, doctors confirmed the diagnosis: Tate had Ebstein’s anomaly, a rare and serious congenital heart defect.

“My heart just sunk,” Kaye said. “You never want to hear that about your baby.”

From that moment on, life became a whirlwind of appointments, hospital stays, and worries about the future. Kaye was uprooted from their home in Montana to Denver to give the baby the best odds of survival.

In March, after a long day of labor, Tate was born. Having prepared herself for the very worst, Kaye was so relieved to hear him cry. 

In his first few months, Tate endured multiple procedures, including emergency open-heart surgery, and faced intestinal issues requiring a stoma and ileostomy. 

In the middle of it all, Kaye and her family found comfort at Brent’s Place. 

At Brent’s Place, they had room not just for Tate and Kaye, but for the entire family to be together. It felt like a home away from home—a place to rest, connect, and focus on Tate’s healing.

“My daughter, Emberlee, loved all the activities,” Kaye shared. “There’s such a sense of community, too. I loved that Emberlee had other adults she could go to for support.” 

Help with food, access to laundry, and countless other Brent’s Place services made day-to-day life so much easier for Kaye. But Kaye and her family didn’t just have their basic needs met. One highlight of their time at Brent’s Place was enjoying a magic show together. Programs like that gave Kaye and her family critical moments of joy and laughter during such a challenging time.

“If I hadn’t had Brent’s Place, I don’t know what I would’ve done,” Kaye said. “It let me focus on Tate and not on how I would pay the rent. That was huge.”

While Tate’s journey is far from over, he’s getting stronger by the day. No matter what the future holds for Tate, Kaye, and their family, Brent’s Place is here to be a source of stability, comfort, and hope.

Support families like Tate’s.

17-month-old Jamie wasn’t sleeping or eating normally. His pediatrician wasn’t too concerned until Jamie’s parents noticed pinprick bruises, known as petechiae. These bruises were a red flag that prompted his pediatrician to order bloodwork, which would reveal the diagnosis: Leukemia.

Jamie’s parents rushed him to the emergency room. His condition was severe, requiring ICU care, several days on a ventilator, and intensive chemotherapy. Finally, his cancer went into remission, but he was diagnosed with a rare condition called sinusoidal obstructive syndrome (SOS). Eventually, his cancer relapsed.

The family made the challenging decision to relocate from Albuquerque to Colorado for specialized care.

Through it all, his parents grappled with the fear, grief, and anger that accompany such a devastating diagnosis. Treatment after treatment had failed or been less effective than necessary—they felt hopeless.

That’s when they found Brent’s Place.

At Brent’s Place, they found a source of comfort in all the chaos. Their new apartment had plenty of room for everyone in the family, including their six-year-old daughter, and came with a stocked pantry so they didn’t have to worry about groceries right away. 

Jamie’s mom, Meredith, said that music therapy was a highlight of their time at Brent’s Place. With so much attention being devoted to Jamie’s care, Meredith was so happy that her daughter had a place to go where she could work through her feelings and be the center of attention for a little while.

“After ‌half an hour of music therapy, she was a different person,” Meredith shared. “And I got to have a minute alone, which is so hard to get when you’re a caregiver. It was so important for both of us.”

Meredith also appreciated all the holiday and birthday celebrations, which meant her kids could still enjoy the holidays without adding any extra stress to her plate. 

Jamie is currently recovering from a bone marrow transplant. While the family still has a little while to go before they can return home, Jamie is doing well and the future looks bright.

“It’s so reassuring to know that, if something else ever happens, we can always come back to Brent’s Place,” Meredith said.

Support families like Jamie’s.

Joseph was just 14 months old when his parents noticed low-grade fevers and swollen lymph nodes. Doctors told his mom, Kelsey, that his symptoms were because of mono. But Joseph’s health worsened. When he woke up one morning covered in bruises—a condition known as petechiae—his parents rushed him to the doctor.

The diagnosis: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Within hours, they were in an ambulance from Colorado Springs to Denver for treatment.

Joseph underwent two and a half years of chemotherapy, followed by maintenance and a two-year remission—until a relapse occurred. Genetic testing revealed a PAX5 gene mutation causing immature B cells and a new kind of leukemia.

This time, Joseph needed a bone marrow transplant in Denver. His family needed a place to stay while navigating this next, terrifying phase of Joseph’s treatment.

That’s when they found Brent’s Place. 

At Brent’s Place, his family found a safe, supportive environment to rest while Joseph underwent treatment and recovery. The team welcomed them with open arms, ensuring they had everything they needed so that they could focus on what was most important: Joseph.

Kelsey especially valued the meals and snacks the family received through Brent’s Place.

“It was so helpful to not have to stress about the little stuff,” she said. “I knew I’d be gone all day at the hospital with Joseph, so I’d stop downstairs and grab food to take with me. That was huge.”

Now, Joseph is six months post-transplant, preparing to restart kindergarten and doing well.

“Having Brent’s Place, especially during those first few weeks, was the best thing ever. Not just the apartment, but the support system—that saved me mentally,” Kelsey shared.

Support families like Joseph’s today.