The Healesville Retreat: Building up families of children with cancer

"The family is fractured when a child is diagnosed" says David Rogers, CEO of Challenge, a support organisation for families of children with cancer.

Belinda and Michael Timms know this all too well. Their son, Nicholas, was diagnosed with a tumor in his liver at only one year old.

He would not live to see his second birthday. And sadly at 21 months old, on the 7th of December in 2008, he passed away.

"He was just this kid that was funny and happy and loved it, and didn’t know he was going through it all." says Belinda.

Michael and Belinda honour their son.

And in his memory, have started a foundation, one that -like Challenge- helps families and their children through this most difficult journey.

"Challenge had always been really good to us" reflected Michael. And with that connection Michael and Belinda had a vision for a hobby farm, the Healesville retreat.

A twin dormitory design that can house two families at a time, with a shared common room and kitchen facilities.

It has been over a decade since his passing, and the Nicholas Timms Foundation has raised over 1.5 Million dollars. Through Michael and Belinda’s tireless work they have rallied immense support and inspired the team here at Carter Grange to build the Healesville Retreat.

The Healesville retreat is a place where the families of children with cancer can go, and be together. Where they can have positive experiences in spite of their difficult journey. David of Challenge describes why this is so important.

"It’s not just the patient getting sick, it’s the whole family" and goes on to state that "around sixty percent of families will divorce or separate through the exercise." The endeavour of Heallesville Retreat is not just one for the child, but for the whole family to bond.

And it is here that Carter Grange Homes became involved.

Carter Grange, have been avid supporters of Challenge for the last seven years. Whether by chance or make Custom Home Designs, Michael too had a connection to Carter Grange, who is a trusted supplier. In support to the Nicholas Timms foundation and the dedicated team at Challenge, we are so proud to report that we have commenced the beginning of this wonderful project.

An utterly unique combination of space and design; the Sheraton is open to both light and movement, with no element ever coming close to feeling claustraphobic. An elequoent use of 700 square metres and made to feel right at home at 1a Hopkins Street, Brighton East.

On the outside, the sheer breadth of this modern houses Melbourne with feature stone. A design that is open to light with floor to ceiling windows and doors. The double glazed skylight only ensures optimal natural light from sunrise to dusk.

Inside holds a beautiful fully furnished, open plan home, segmented with ingenious subtlety and timber feature screens.

Complete with Upgraded kitchen appliances, smart lighting design, and a rear loaded garage; the Sheraton truly encapsulates the quality and cleverness in affordable luxury.

If you are considering building an investment with Dual occupancy homes, or just building your luxury dream home, Carter Grange can build to meet your requirements.