Marlis Family's Story

From the moment Remy entered this world by emergency C-Section, he had difficulty breathing and faced life-threatening symptoms. We were in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) for eight weeks before my son was ultimately diagnosed with Rett Syndrome, a rare and fatal disorder.
Our NICU doctor let us know that Remy’s next steps at the hospital would be a tracheotomy, a painful medical procedure, followed by close monitoring and life-threatening situations. Our social worker at the hospital recommended George Mark, and after consideration, my husband, Jason, and I decided we would go. At George Mark, Remy received comfort care, and we were empowered to take control of the situation and allow our son to die with dignity. We knew if we took our son home, we would never sleep and would just stare at his monitors and count the seconds. The nursing staff at George Mark took charge of Remy’s medical care, and allowed us to simply enjoy the time our son had left to live.

From the moment we arrived at George Mark, we were put at ease.

The staff came out to receive us and they were warm and welcoming. Remy stayed in the O.K. Corral, a cozy children’s room with a cowboy theme. There were even musicians who played just for us. At George Mark, we had privacy and were able to bathe Remy ourselves. There were no more beeping alarms.
We wanted to take Remy outdoors so he could experience life outside for the first time. The ambience of the House and the grounds was calming and beautiful, and we showed him the sky and the stars. During our stay at George Mark, we had a spa session with the aquatic therapist. Even though Remy was so fragile, we were able to swim together as a family.

We were only at George Mark for two days, but they were the most meaningful two days of our son's life because they were actually his and ours.

The nurses, who knew that the end of our time together was near, told us at that moment that we should just hold him. If it weren't for the freedom, flexibility, and peace that George Mark brought our family, Remy most likely wouldn't have died in my arms. Because of the care and attention of the George Mark staff at this sensitive moment, we felt like a family.
After Remy died, we both took leaves from our respective jobs. It was during this time that we took a leap of faith and decided to try again to build our family. Happily, I gave birth to Aurora, who we call Rory, a healthy baby girl, now two years old.


Once I was back at my job, I found myself experiencing a depression that wouldn’t lift. Unable to find a therapist who had expertise in working with neonatal loss, I turned to George Mark. The social worker had the experience and compassion to guide me through this challenging time and continues to provide support as needed.

I think of my son every day. An artist friend created a rock for Remy, which now sits by the playground at George Mark, a place we can bring our daughter to visit whenever we want.

We remain forever grateful to George Mark and appreciative of all of its loyal supporters. Without you, this special place would not be available to families like ours.

- Annie Marlis

About George Mark Children's House

George Mark Children's House (GMCH) is a very special place that many of us are fortunate NOT to know about until you have a need to know about it...and then your life is forever changed. They take in medically fragile children and teach their parents how to care for them so they can transition from hospital to home. They provide respite care for families of critically ill children, children who need round the clock medical support, and takes charge of those all consuming duties so that parents have some time to recharge. And lastly, GMCH is a place where families can bring their terminally ill children before they die. In a comforting and loving environment, GMCH creates a lifetime of memories in what may only be a few days, weeks, or months on earth and supports families through the most difficult time in their lives. 

GMCH needs our help as only a portion of GMCH operating costs are funded by insurance. They rely largely on donations for approximately 80% of their annual operating budget. Please consider donating to support this specialized and compassionate care.