SaveProuty
Our Fight Ends

Friends of Prouty Garden today announced they would not appeal the Massachusetts Appeals Court’s April 19th decision which upheld the Superior Court’s dismissal of their complaint about the state Department of Public Health’s slack regulatory process and its role in Boston Children’s Hospital’s $1 billion expansion project. The decision effectively ends a four-year legal battle to preserve the historic Prouty Garden, which served as a tranquil oasis for ailing children and their families for more than 50 years.

Our Fight Ends
SaveProuty
No Healing Garden

This week, Boston Children's Hospital unveiled its new rooftop garden. The space contains a small patch of grass, paved walkways, tables and chairs, and some potted plants. It may be a nice space, but it lacks nearly everything a therapeutic healing garden should contain.

No Healing Garden
SaveProuty
Court Hearing Today

This afternoon, Suffolk Superior Court Judge Janet L. Sanders will hear arguments on two closely-related motions filed by the Ten Taxpayer Group comprising Friends of the Prouty Garden in its pending lawsuit against Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH) and state public health officials.  With the parties’ legal briefs already on file with the court, this will essentially be the hearing on the merits of the Prouty Garden court case.  

Court Hearing Today
SaveProuty
A Legal Update

In addition to violating Condition 8 of the DoN, the lawsuit alleges that the hospital began construction activities associated with the new tower without written approval from DPH of preliminary and final architectural plans, as required by state law, and that BCH failed to implement a plan for communicating the status of the expansion project to community groups, as required by another DoN condition.

A Legal Update
SaveProuty
In the Afterglow of Earth Day

The Prouty Garden at Boston Children’s Hospital was such a treasure and during the week of this year’s Earth Day, it provided a fragmentary piece of evidence testifying to its deep value. The tree, symbolically, and perhaps in a true and real spiritual sense, drew in the worst of those fears and the deepest of despair and gave back hope and confirmation that there is more to our existence than just our physiological well-being. Love, courage, faith, compassion, hope, patience, endurance and a myriad of other qualities play a far greater role in determining whether we live a “good life” or not. The Prouty Garden was a place where one could go to confirm that truth every day.

In the Afterglow of Earth Day

Shadow Puppets on the Garden Wall

Shadow Puppets on the Garden Wall

As soon as she was able to walk, we loaded up her tiny walker with some stuffed animal friends, unhooked the IV, and headed down to the garden. She was absolutely thrilled...to watch the bunnies, see other kids and families, introduce her stuffed animal friends to the different garden statues, laugh and be out of the hospital setting.  At one point, we took a seat in the small garden structure in the corner by the giant redwood...watched the fire flies and used the dark night and the flashlight in my phone to have a shadow puppet show on the garden wall.  Bela laughed, our hearts filled with joy and relief to have this special moment.

A Local Patient Speaks Up for the Prouty

A Local Patient Speaks Up for the Prouty

Today we share with you an essay written by Sara Curtis, a 16 year old student at Commonwealth High School in Back Bay and a patient at BCH. Sara is currently participating in a study at BCH to examine the effects of a placebo drug on patients with Functional Abdominal Pain Syndrome. She brings up important issues about the proposed greenspace replacements that we have been assured time and again will be sufficient to replace the Prouty.

David's Story

David's Story

On February 1, 1973, just before his 13th birthday, David died unexpectedly in his sleep at home in Princeton, NJ.  We met together as a family in Boston, and concluded that we wanted David’s ashes scattered in the Prouty Garden where he had spent so many happy times with his family.