Meet the Holdsworth Family

Laura, James, and their daughter Darcy were your typical family living in Menlo Park, until their life changed overnight. In April 2024, their vibrant 7-year-old daughter, Darcy, began experiencing unexplained headaches and morning nausea. At first, doctors attributed it to a viral infection, but an MRI quickly turned their world upside down—Darcy had a tumor the size of a plum in her cerebellum. Within hours of receiving the diagnosis, she was scheduled for an eight-hour surgery.

Complications followed. Darcy spent 11 days in the ICU, tested positive for COVID-19 (a false positive that required isolation), and later developed an abscess in a lymph node. Once an outgoing and social child, she became more cautious and anxious in the wake of her medical ordeal.

Her parents, Laura and James, did what any parent would—dropped everything to be by her side. Laura and James both stepped away from work for two weeks and gradually returned part-time. The family spent countless hours in the hospital, searching for any space to breathe amidst the chaos. That’s when they learned about JW House from the staff at Kaiser Hospital.

Initially, JW House was a quiet refuge during a stressful day long wait while Darcy was in surgery—Laura remembers spending hours in the meditation garden, a rare moment of solace in an overwhelming time. “Just being there, not waiting in the hospital, made all the difference,” Laura shared. Soon after, they began using JW House’s Day Use program, finding comfort in warm meals and a welcoming space away from the hospital’s sterile environment.

Now, Darcy is back in school, undergoing regular MRIs to monitor her recovery. While there is a small chance her tumor could return in the next 5-10 years, she is expected to make a full recovery. But for the Holdsworth family, their journey with JW House didn’t end when Darcy’s treatments did—it’s come full circle.

Moved by the kindness and care her family experienced, she was determined to give back. Darcy and the 19 other girls in her second-grade Girl Scout troop chose JW House as the focus of their service project. Together, they poured their hearts into creating handmade support cards and assembled treat bags for families staying at JW House, giving back some of the small comforts that helped them through their time in the hospital.