NC couple’s loss leads to charity providing free housing near Charlotte hospital for families with sick children

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WJZY) — A Denver couple who have experienced the heartbreak of losing a child is easing the burden on other families with sick children.

Lyndsi and Wesley Sigmon’s newborn son, Luke, needed a heart transplant in 2009.

They spent months at a time in Boston, living in a rented apartment near the hospital where he was being treated.

“To be thrown this curveball, you really don’t have time to sit and process,” Lyndsi Sigmon said. “You have to just go immediately.”

Luke got his heart but died when he was 6.

“He inspired a community, and we want to remember him for all the things he did,” Wesley Sigmon said. “You could feel his positive energy. He was always happy, so we fed off that.”

All the support the Sigmons received during that time motivated them to create the non-profit, Hearts and Hope, which just bought a townhome in Charlotte within walking distance of Levine Children’s Hospital.

The Sigmons say by early next year, it’ll be furnished, so families with kids receiving long-term care at the hospital can stay for free.

“You’re our guest and you’re allowed to stay here as long as [the] time for your child to be able to go back to their home,” Wesley Sigmon said. “It’s a small space, but it’s perfect for a family that needs a little break from the hospital and have a place to stay.”

The Sigmons emphasize how much the home is about creating a sense of normalcy for families experiencing anything but.

They’ve run a similar home in Durham for years for families with kids at Duke Children’s Hospital.

People from all over the state, and as far as West Virginia and Texas, have come to stay.

“You’re tired when you spend many hours in the hospital,” Lyndsi Sigmon said. “You’re mentally, emotionally drained, so to be able to come back somewhere and lay in a bed, watch TV, and just for a minute check out from that world.”

The Sigmons say they’re interested in being put in touch with families in need.

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