Val’s Story
“To feel like your world is ending and have somebody walk alongside you, someone going through the same thing, makes you feel like you’re not alone.”
When Val Cyr’s husband, Herb, suffered a devastating ATV accident on their rural Vernon property, everything changed in an instant. With a severe head injury and multiple fractures, including his neck, back, ribs, sternum, shoulder blades, and pelvis, Herb was urgently transported to Kelowna General Hospital for critical care.
For Val, the need to be close to her husband during his time in the ICU was non-negotiable. But remaining nearby for weeks, possibly months, of hospitalization brought a heavy emotional and financial burden.
That’s when JoeAnna’s House welcomed her in.
“To feel like your world is ending and have somebody walk alongside you, someone going through the same thing, makes you feel like you’re not alone.”
For nearly three months, JoeAnna’s House became more than accommodation, but a place of refuge, connection, and healing for Val. The homes welcoming design invited her out of isolation. It was there, over shared coffee and quiet moments of understanding, that she met LuAnn, another guest supporting her loved one in the ICU. What started with a simple “hello” grew into a daily ritual of walking to the hospital, sharing meals, and processing hard days together.
“It was her strength that gave me strength, I’ll be forever grateful to her for pushing me where I’ve never been pushed before in my life.”
And the bond has outlasted their time at the home, the two remain close friends.
At JoeAnna’s House, stories like Val and LuAnn’s aren’t rare, they are the heart of what the house represents. It’s where caregivers find comfort. Where strangers become lifelong friends. And where hope takes root in life’s most difficult moments.
And as demand for the home grows, so too must our capacity to care. That’s why, together, the Vernon Jubilee Hospital Foundation and KGH Foundation are working to expand JoeAnna’s House, so more families from the North Okanagan region can stay close when they need it most.