Fighting cancer is never easy, but for children, it’s even harder. “There’s no guidebook when your daughter has been diagnosed with cancer,” says Nichole Millea of Swampscott, whose daughter, Ruby, was diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma at just three years old. Ruby endured years of treatments, including surgery that resulted in complications and a 9-day medically induced coma, as well as a full liver transplant several years later. Yet through it all, Ruby and her family found a constant source of comfort through the Amesbury-based nonprofit Love Bus.
“Love Bus provides free integrative therapies, complementary activities, and holistic support to children with cancer, their siblings, and their caregivers, regardless of the child’s phase of treatment,” says Love Bus executive director Jackie Walker. “We really try to focus on bringing joy, relief, and some normalcy to these families who are going through a very challenging time.” Love Bus serves families across New England, providing services to children up to age 21, whether they are newly diagnosed, in active treatment, or in remission. “We know that the effects of cancer don’t end when treatment does,” Walker says.
For Ruby, Love Bus began providing support almost immediately. “She started treatment on the weekend of the Fourth of July, and within the first day, a music therapist showed up during treatment,” Millea recalls. In fact, a music therapist came whenever Ruby had an uncomfortable medical procedure. Massage therapists worked on her head and arms during her days in the coma, and a yoga instructor came to the hospital to teach yoga to Ruby and other patients.
“It provided comfort in a way that wasn’t medical,” Millea says. “They gave Ruby a release. If she needed to paint or draw, they helped her and gave her the tools to do that. If she wanted to sing, dance, or play the drums, the next day there would be drums there. It was meaningful.” Love Bus, formerly known as Lucy’s Love Bus, was founded after another child with cancer, Lucy Grogan, realized that financial and insurance barriers prevented other pediatric cancer patients from accessing integrative therapies alongside their medical care.
“We tried every integrative therapy possible for Lucy over the four years of her illness to help ease her suffering,” says Lucy’s mother, Beecher Grogan. “We had a big conversation about why her friends weren’t getting the same care. When she realized it was because of money, she said, ‘I want to start something that delivers comfort.’” The organization’s first event was a bone marrow drive in 2006, just a few months before Lucy died at age 12. Her family and friends were determined to carry on her legacy and mission to provide comfort and care to other children with cancer.
Now, 20 years later, Love Bus continues that work. The organization pays for integrative therapies such as yoga, Reiki, and acupuncture, as well as activities that bring joy and a sense of normal childhood, including swimming lessons, karate classes, and dance classes. Because siblings are often overlooked while a child undergoes cancer treatment, Love Bus also provides services and support for them. Additional offerings include caregiver support, in-hospital integrative therapy sessions, and in-person group programs such as equine experiences at the Sajni Center in Amesbury, named for Sajni Chakrabarti, a Love Bus child who died of cancer in 2017.
Nearly a decade after her diagnosis, Ruby Millea is now cancer-free. “She is a 12-year-old sixth grader on the honor roll. She dances competitively, is a cheerleader, and plays softball,” her mother says. She still receives support from Love Bus through an annual scholarship that helps pay for her dance classes. Her brother also receives support. For Beecher Grogan, the legacy and message of Love Bus is about “children helping children,” from Lucy’s original vision to the friends who helped build the charity after her death. “We show them that when you work together, you are unstoppable,” Grogan says. “That’s beautiful.”
Love Bus is marking its 20th anniversary with its fourth annual Butterfly Benefit on May 7, which will help support the more than 460 families the organization currently serves. Since 2006, Love Bus has provided support to more than 3,400 individuals. Learn more at lovebus.org.