Easter arrived a little early for about two dozen children affiliated with Hope House's respite care program.

Personalized baskets containing toys, books and sweets were delivered by Mary Lou Marshall, operations manager for Hope House, director Mike Sorrow and a host of volunteers starting Wednesday.

Two Fayette County recipients included Mason and Mitchell Tompkins of Peachtree City. Mason, who will turn 2 years old May 4, enjoyed the crinkly cellophane paper almost as much as the purple platypus tucked inside his basket.

His brother Mitchell, 3, went straight for the colored plastic eggs, which he separated in a snap. Their mother, Karen, helped them sift through the grass-stuffed baskets to unearth each and every treat.

The holiday basket distribution is just one example of the many large and small caring gestures Hope House offers to its exceptional families. Karen and Jay Tompkins are parents of an 11-year-old daughter, Hannah, and Mason and Mitchell. Both boys were born with mitochondria disorder and are predisposed to seizures. As their mother explains it, mitochondria affects the “power plant” of the muscle, resulting in low muscle tone, difficulties in learning to walk, and in Mason's case, eating difficulties.

Extensive physical therapy has enabled Mitchell to strengthen his arms, which allows him greater mobility than his sibling, Mason, who is still “in training” three days a week with Michelle Larson, a Scottish Rite physical therapist working at Fayette Community Hospital. Through Larson, the Tompkinses learned about Hope House and their respite care providers. Trained volunteers and nurses come and stay in the home with the children and fulfill all the daily care requirements normally carried out by the parent or primary care giver, giving them a break to spend time with the other siblings or simply rest.

The Tompkinses are planning to attend their daughter's tennis match in a couple of weeks using a Hope House care team to look after the boys. The program was launched about five years ago and remains the only source of respite care for children in the metro area. Currently, Hope House serves 24 children and their families in Fayette, Coweta, Douglas and Clayton counties. The next step is building a respite care center next to Southwest Christian Hospice in Union City, estimated to cost about $1.2 million.

Plans on the table call for an eight-bedroom wing with a family lounge, two parents' efficiency rooms, game room, computer and music room, library, multisensory room, hydrotherapy pool, spa bath and showers, gardens, outdoor play area and chapel. Staffing will include a care manager and nursing staff, pediatric nurses, nursing assistants, a social worker, physiotherapist, chaplain and support staff. Respite care would be offered for a few days or as long as two weeks on any one visit.

Cost of building the center and its operation will be met through donations from churches, corporate sponsors and individuals. For information about Hope House and its volunteer program, phone 770-969-8354.

Back to News Home Page | Back to the top of the page