Shilo Farm – Eliot, ME
Come welcome fall with us! Bring joy & hope back into your life as your child transitions off cancer treatment.
We understand that when a child is diagnosed with cancer, the burden befalls the entire family. Parents, siblings, pets, and loved ones experience a great deal of stress, sadness, and pain. The seemingly endless treatments, surgeries and scans can leave the patient and family feeling anxious, vulnerable, even defeated. But we also know that the fight against cancer can also be an empowering one, especially for survivors.
At Rett’s Roost, we hope to create a joyful, fearless, empathetic space for families to relax, renew, and lament after months or years in a hospital environment. We focus on mindful, positive living through healthy bodies, minds, and spirits. Our hope is to offer families facing the post-treatment world, ways to ease their anxieties for the future, reintegrate back into their pre-cancer lives, and find moments of joy and gratitude in their daily lives.
Three families will be invited to join this weekend retreat. Each family will have their own bedroom and bathroom. Rett’s Roost staff will be providing delicious, healthy meals. We will have full days of optional activities to connect with others and to heal within, such as art, music, yoga, games, and nature hunts.
Does my family qualify? For this retreat, we can accept 3 families that have a child who has been through cancer treatment and currently is NED (no evidence of disease) or has stable tumors. We do not have medical staff onsite for children requiring frequent interventions. However, there is an emergency room within 10 minutes and Boston Children’s Hospital is 1.5 hrs away. You must live within the 6 New England states or NY or NJ to apply. We give out small travel stipends to those coming from over 2-hours away. This retreat is best suited for children between the ages of 5-15.
Note: This is a working farm with cats, a large dog, chickens, and goats. It is not recommended for families that have severe allergies or fears to animals.
COVID-19: Currently we are requiring parents to be vaccinated for COVID (at least 2 shots). Children do not need to be vaccinated, however, it is highly recommended. We will be providing rapid tests on arrival and encourage people to test on their own before they come.
Past Positively Healing Mini-retreats:
2019 Photos
2017 Photos
2015 Photos
