Christopher's Haven

Christopher’s Haven is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2001 by Dan Olsen, a local actor, singer-songwriter, and three-time cancer survivor. Dan chose this name through a song he wrote called “Christopher’s Song” about a boy who has cancer. Haven means a special, safe, or favorite place. Dan started this organization because when he was getting his third cancer treatment, he saw parents who had nowhere to sleep except in the waiting room while their kids were getting treatment, and he decided he wanted to do something about it.

Massachusetts General Hospital for Children is one of only three hospitals throughout the country that have a Proton Therapy Center. This type of therapy is very important to children with cancer because, unlike traditional radiation, it targets the tumor and does not harm healthy tissue, organs, or bone around the cancer. The children are treated for cancer as ‘out-patients’, so they need a comfortable and relaxing place to stay during the average 4-6 week treatment. Christopher’s Haven provides a comfortable two-bedroom apartment in the Charles River Park complex behind the Hospital, but this only accommodates one family at a time. The goal is to create a Christopher's Haven that will house 8 to 10 families at any given time near Mass General Hospital for Children, and they will need to raise more than $1 million for this purpose.