About
Rocky's House
Robert Jett (“RJ”) Lynn was born December of 2021 and passed away peacefully in September of 2023. RJ, from the day that he was born, spent his life in the expert intensive-care of his beloved hospital family. His mother, Sara, a 3rd grade teacher in Virginia, and father, Timothy (Robbie), were fortunate to be with him nearly everyday during his prolonged hospitalization. Early on during his journey he was affectionately nicknamed “Rocky” by his Aunt (Rachel) – which symbolized his lifelong underdog odds, who always fought, and prevailed.
Purpose - a gift from our son.
Prior to the Christmas season in 2022, Sara and Robbie began formulating the ‘idea’ that was to become “Rocky’s House”. During their 2-year hospitalization, not only were they confronted by financial burdens and hardships, they also witnessed other families around them with the same struggles and other heartbreaking situations. A noticeable problem was apparent. Families with critically-ill children, quickly, are faced with (perhaps) the toughest crossroad they might ever encounter – 1) be present with their child(ren), every day, at the hospital, or 2) work, so that health insurance and fixed ‘life’ expenditures are paid. This is not so easy to decide. Aside from the unimaginable things experienced by the Lynn family, they witnessed many families lose their home or have very unstable housing arrangements during their child(ren’s) journey. The outcomes for those families were devastating on a multitude of fronts – especially for those of humble backgrounds.
In October 2024, Rocky’s House became a reality and raised over $160,000 through seed funding and initial pledges, and was granted its 501(c)3 status shortly after. Its founding board members and officers include RJ’s mom and dad, pediatric critical-care Doctors, Nurse Practitioners, and affordable housing industry professionals across the fields of development, finance, and law. These individuals make up some of the nation’s leading affordable housing professionals and are mixed with medical personnel, all who understand the dynamic and challenges disproportionately impacting families of modest means.
Under its leadership, the organization sets out to serve its mission by granting families via financial assistance to stabilize their housing situation while being present with their child and their critical care journey. The organization is partnering with childrens hospital systems, which help identify families who are at risk of eviction or foreclosure and apply for aid.
As healthcare increases its quality, prolonged frequent hospitalizations are becoming more ‘the common’. The impact of this divergence; the increasing of quality healthcare/treatments, prolonged hospitalizations, and the increasing cost of housing is profound. Consequently, the ‘problem’ is becoming larger.
Donations to the organization afford families some breathing room in the time they so desperately need – but also impact the wholistic healthcare ecosystem for the entire family.
The medical community and affordable housing industry are catching on to this ‘problem’. They know that medicine and treatment plans target the issue impacting admittance, but healthcare and stable housing lead to increased positive outcomes. Simply put, Housing = Healthcare. Housing = Financial stability.
RJ’s Story
Rockys House Launch Video
RJ By the Numbers
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est. healthcare cost, ~$15 million (~$23K a day)
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900+ blood draws
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653 days alive
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630 days in the Hospital (95% of those days in the CICU)
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500+ x-rays, MRI's, ECHO-Cardios, EKGs, other imaging
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250+ nurses that cared for RJ
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200+ days on life support (either intubated, or ECMO with Intubation)
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130 days fighting to be ‘healthy enough’ to be listed for transplant
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110+ doctors have touched RJ's case (various specialties)
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100+ rounds of IV Antibiotics
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95 days with a ‘Berlin Heart’ (external heart)
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50+ blood transfusions
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41 days on the heart transplant list
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27: the peak number of IV infusions/medications (IV 'drips') he was on at peak
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13 heart catheterization procedures
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11 times where we were told that RJ's 'time' was here and that he was sure to pass - he fought them off (these instances would last, days, or weeks, and sometimes a month or so)
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8 weeks premature
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8 total 'major' surgeries (open heart, ECMO etc.)
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5 Cardiac Arrest (RJ spend over 80 minutes total aggregate time ‘not alive’. His longest arrest lasting 50 minutes).
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4 times collapsed lungs
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4 times administered ATG treatment for rejection
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3 hospitals (Inova Loudoun, Inova Fairfax Children’s, & Children's Hospital of Philadelphia)
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2 near fatal Strokes
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2 open heart procedures
RJ's Conditions (generally in order of diagnosis):
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8 weeks premature
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Severe Hydrops Fetalis (worst grade)
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Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (multiple instances)
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Restrictive Cardiomyopathy (worst grade) - this was his old heart which qualified him for transplant - listed at 1A (top of the list).
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Gastrointestinal Necrosis, bowel resection (Had surgery to remove 15cm of his small intestine)
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Polymicrogyria (neurological condition developed in utero)
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Cerebral Atrophy (brain trauma injury from Cardiac Arrest at birth, and Cardiac Arrest post-transplant)
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Polyvalvular Disease (2 of his heart valves were later diagnosed as also being diseased)
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Two (2) Stroke's (clotting from the Berlin Heart)
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Acute Respiratory Disease
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Bronchomalacia
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Hypertension and Hypotension (various times)
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Thyroid Disease
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Iron deficiency
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Blood clots (multiple)
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Delayed Gastric emptying (a fancy way of saying RJ could not handle) food in his stomach and had to be feed through his Jejunum)
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Gastrointestinal Bleeding
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Decreased Kidney Function and Kidney failure (at some points had to go on dialysis)
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Persistent Ectopic Atrial Tachycardia
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Orthotopic Heart transplant
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Paraflu - Severe Virus infection
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Cardiac Arrest (5 in total)
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ECMO history (2 in total)
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Metapneumovirus - Severe Virus infection
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acute necrosis from ART-line injury (almost causing amputation)
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Cellular rejection of Transplanted heart
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Central Line and ART Line Bloodstream infections (multiple)
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frequent fever spikes to 103-105 degrees
Mission
Rocky’s House mission is to help low- and moderate-income families with critically ill children, of which, are long-term inpatient and at risk of foreclosure or eviction by providing financial assistance, supportive services, and fostering advocacy on their behalf.
Vision Statement
Rocky’s House will help support & advocate for at-risk families that have long-term chronically & critically ill children. Our vision, one day, is for families of humble backgrounds be gifted financial assistance (via grant) to help make their monthly mortgage or rental payment while their child/children are undergoing long-term inpatient treatment.
Rocky’s House has three main goals to serving families with critically ill, long-term inpatient children:
01
Financial Assistance
in the form grants to low-and-moderate income families that help cover mortgage or rental payment.
02
Supportive Services
at the request of families that receive assistance, Rocky’s House volunteers will be available to help assist with the many responsibilities of maintaining home and life outside the hospital. Other volunteer/support groups we partner with offer financial literacy education, budgeting a bill organizing, and emotional support for parents/guardians. By connecting qualified families through Rocky’s House support network, the Parental/Guardians can have resources at their disposal while they continue through the hardships/difficulties of caring for critically ill children.
03
Advocacy
by participating in various opportunities that advance local and state governmental support programs, legislative activity, and by promoting awareness of the many struggles families of critically ill children contend with.
Rocky’s House is dedicated to the ultimate pursuit to which families of inpatient critically ill children receive care and assistance and get them through the most challenging times that they will ever face. No family in our communities should lose their home while fighting for life with their child.
Rocky’s House will provide a safe, warm, inviting, & friendly atmosphere to these families with the hopes to set their mind at ease about the ability to “come home” to their home. The struggles families face when facing a prolonged hospitalization is unrecognized by many and those less economically stable are disproportionately impacted most. While Rocky’s House is not an actual physical ‘house’ – it is metaphor for its board members, officers, volunteers, and its donors to affirm the notion that our (Rocky's) house, is your house, is their house, is our house. Think “mi casa, es tu casa y tu casa es mi casa.” While we’ve all heard the first half of that phrase (my house is your house), the mission is “y tu casa es mi casa” (and your house is my house) - and the organization will strive to keep this house/home, together, by serving these families. Rocky's House will strive to relieve the financial burdens to those qualifying families, be a voice & and ear, for those who need it most, and to provide strength, love, and support to those underserved in our communities.
This (the organization’s existence) is the gift of purpose our sweet RJ gave to us, amongst many others.
Join us and help us spread our gift. Donations to Rockys House, Inc. are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the IRS Code and under allowable law.
Tax ID#: 33-1710118
Healthcare Fact:
Higher probabilities for successful outcomes of chronically ill children happen when parents and guardians are present (daily) at the hospital while children are undergoing treatment & involved in the day-to-day medical decisions and ongoing care. A recent study showed that 61% of American families live paycheck to paycheck [CBS NEWS, Aug. 2023]. That means over HALF of these families (on average) must choose between being ‘present’, and thus giving their child the best chances for a positive outcome, or quickly going broke and becoming at-risk of foreclosure or eviction.
