The purpose of Jill's House is to provide a comfortable, home-like atmosphere at low cost for both children and adults receiving treatment as well as their care givers. This place - Jills' House - will offer the comforts of home as patients receive the best of care. People entering Jill's House will be able to embrace this comfort as they enter the Great Hall and encounter rocking chairs and a huge fireplace. An abundance of windows throughout Jill's House will bring in sunlight. Guests may stay in one of 25 bedrooms, each with a private bath. Meals may be fixed in any of four kitchens at any time. Laundry may be done on-site. A dining area will give the opportunity for people to make friendships and to share meals. A library will offer many books for both children and adults. Youngsters may spend time romping in a playroom which will feature bold colors or frolic in an outdoor play area. There will be office space and a board room for administrative purposes. A chapel will offer a quiet place to reflect. Jill's House is named in honor of Jill Behrman, a Bloomington resident abducted while riding her bike on May 31, 2000. In remembering Jill, we are providing a place of comfort for others who are in need of support.

While new cancer treatments are progressing at a rapid rate, support services lag behind. In the past, all treatments were done in the hospital, but research has shown that patients do better in a home setting. Outside of surgical needs, most treatments are done on an out-patients basis. The ideal situation is for the patient to be treated close to home. However certain types of cancer can only be treated in special centers. The Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute in Bloomington, Indiana, one of the first of this kind of treatment modality in the country, will treat children and adults with certain types of brain tumors and tumors adjacent to vital organs incapable of successful treatment by conventional methods. The therapy is provided on an out-patient basis over a period of six to eight weeks during which time residents will receive support from our staff, a comfortable home, kitchen and laundry facilities, and the fellowship of other families enduring the same concerns. Proton therapy avoids unnecessary treatment of healthy tissue while delivering radiation directly to tumors. This makes proton therapy especially important for growing children. Many patrons of Jill's House will be young families truely in need of comfortable, affordable housing close to the Midwest Proton Radiation Institute.