"Hospitals tell family to take their kids home, and they die at home. That's not necessarily the best solution." 

- Nancy Flores, Ryan House 

It's hard to talk about, but not every child grows up to be an adult. Even with the best medical care in the world, there are still conditions and diseases that we're helpless to stop. 

Ryan House is for kids who won't live past 20. 

It's a place for children and their families to visit, just to take a break from the stress of constant 24/7 home care, and it's a place where, eventually, that child can pass away. 

All of this said, Ryan House is not some miserable facility! It's designed for people to relax and have fun. 

"We have a group called 'da boys,' They're around nine or ten and they plan their visits together," explains Executive Director Nancy Flores. "They have their certain Playstation games, and they race their wheelchairs down the halls. Every time I walk out of my office, I hear, 'clock me!'"  

Music, art, a pool, a planned butterfly garden and every video game system a kid could dream of - it's all therapy, and it's all supported by a medical staff banned from wearing scrubs. Ryan House takes every precaution to avoid the feeling of a hospital visit.

"We're very cautious about the 'hospital' smell, so we have smell patrols," laughs Flores. "Usually we have brownies baking." 

Any child and their respective family can stay at Ryan House, regardless of their financial or health insurance status. Yes, Ryan House is free because it's entirely donor-supported. 

"We try to make memories," explains Flores. "We do scrapbooking and take videos. Even though a family might not be thinking of that at the time, we provide them memories for months and years to come."