Families Facing Cancer Support
A Place to Rest, Reconnect, and Find Peace in the Mountains
Families facing childhood cancer carry more than the weight of treatment, they navigate emotional, physical, and financial challenges every day.
Hopeful Heights exists to offer something simple, yet deeply meaningful: time away.
What Hopeful Heights Provides
Hopeful Heights offers families a cost-free stay at our mountain home near Yosemite National Park.
Each stay is designed to provide:
Rest from daily medical routines
Time to reconnect as a family
Space to create meaningful memories
Families are also given the opportunity to safely explore the surrounding area, with guidance and support from experienced search and rescue team members who understand the terrain and how to navigate it with care.
Who It’s For?
This program is open to families with a child (18 or younger) affected by childhood cancer, whether currently in treatment or in recovery.
Each stay accommodates up to six family members and is provided at no cost.
Tara’s Story
Tara Marie DeSplinter was born on July 26, 1982, and she lost her battle with Leukemia on April 9, 1985. While her life was short, the lessons she taught were many. The courage Tara showed throughout her chemotherapy treatment was amazing. No matter how harsh the day's treatment, she always tried to smile and literally offered her hand to hold in order for others to feel better. She took care of her baby dolls with that same compassion as if they were real, rocking them to sleep and shushing those around her so as not to disturb her baby and asking for help to hold her baby's hand while she played doctor and administered treatment. Her favorite spot was sitting on anyone's lap, as long as the chair rocked.
As we were a young family at the time, I remember looking out the window of the hospital and seeing people continually going about their day. I wondered if they realized how different our lives were from theirs. I'd dream about all the things I wanted to do with Tara and wished we had the finances to give her something special, some place to bring her away from all the needles and treatment she faced. Although we were never able to provide that experience for Tara, we are blessed to be able to honor her memory by offering that opportunity to another child dealing with the same life challenges.
Mariposa Grove Creekside Retreat is our modern mountain home located at the south entrance to Yosemite National Park, and our mission is to offer children with cancer and their family the opportunity to enjoy the experience we dreamed of when Tara was alive. Stays for families accommodate up to six guests and is completely cost free for the family. This is our way of honoring Tara and are blessed to have the opportunity to do so.
- Karen Ziebarth (Tara's Mom)