Nanaimo’s Krall family and the province have jointly provided the funds for a patient housing pilot project that started in March.
The $720,000 project provides affordable housing options to patients and caregivers who need to travel for leukemia treatments or organ transplants. The province has matched the Krall family’s gift of $360,000, raised through Diana and Michelle’s charity benefits, which is intended to help other families experiencing similar challenges.
The family recognized the need for sustainable, affordable housing for outpatients and caregivers when the late Adella Krall, mother to Diana and her sister Michelle, travelled between Nanaimo and Vancouver General Hospital for multiple myeloma treatment.
The Patient Accommodation Pilot Project includes 10 fully-furnished and equipped, one-bedroom apartments close to VGH and a $20 per day subsidy if these are fully booked or if patients prefer to find their own housing.
Adella Krall died from multiple myeloma in 2002. The Krall family has raised more than $6 million for the UBC and VGH Hospital Foundation to support patients and families living with multiple myeloma, leukaemia and other blood-related cancers.