Teisha Helgerson, well known and much loved member of the Portland music scene, was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) in 2002. She survived a stem cell transplant in 2007 and temporarily pushed back the disease until 2011.  When she left us for her forever home she had a cute little bungalow in North Portland that was all paid for and furnished as she liked it.

Deb, her mother, chose to donate the use of the house to patients recovering from a transplant, which is a long process that takes several months and requires that the patient be within a 20 minute drive of OHSU. Teisha’s Place is about 12 minutes away, and nestled in the sweet Overlook neighborhood in North Portland.

When Teisha had to consider going out of state for treatment it hit home just how daunting a task it is to possibly have to move for several months to a city you don’t know, when you are terribly sick, to undergo treatments that are not kind to the body or mind (even when delivered by nurturing doctors and nurses) with few options other than to live in a hotel room for weeks at a time –– and hope you have the money to pay for it.

Teisha’s Place offers a home, rent-free, to one family at a time. The utilities are paid from donations. The patients at Teisha’s do not have housing allowances through their medical insurance plans. The gift of time to live at Teisha’s take a huge financial burden off of families and gives them a comfortable place to live. It is extraordinary to be able to provide that kind of support.

In the past few years Teisha’s Place has hosted 42 families who came from Oregon, Washington, California, Hawaii, and Maine.