ABOUT/TEAM | Amy's House

AMY’S HOUSE

A Home Away from Home For Cancer Patients

What Amy’s House Does

Amy’s House provides free accommodations for families who must travel more than 100 kilometres to Edmonton for cancer treatment.

Today, Amy’s House consists of three fully furnished homes located side by side in Edmonton’s Queen Mary Park community, just minutes from the Royal Alexandra Hospital, University of Alberta Hospital, and the Cross Cancer Institute.

Each home welcomes one family at a time, typically for extended stays ranging from two to six weeks, depending on treatment schedules. Designed to feel like a real home — not a hotel — the houses provide full kitchens, laundry facilities, comfortable living spaces, and the privacy families need to rest, recover, and be together.

By removing the burden of costly accommodations and exhausting daily travel, Amy’s House eases the emotional, physical, and financial strain placed on families during one of life’s most challenging seasons. Our goal is simple: to provide comfort, dignity, and peace so families can focus on healing.

The Legacy Behind Amy’s House

Amy’s House was founded in loving memory of Amy Alain.

In May 2018, at just 37 years old, Amy—a mother of two, devoted wife to Phil Alain, ultra-runner, triathlete and fitness instructor—was diagnosed with stage 3B non-small cell adenocarcinoma lung cancer. The diagnosis shocked everyone who knew her. Amy was the picture of health.

Determined to raise awareness and dispel the myth that lung cancer only affects smokers, Amy launched her Lunges for Lung Cancer campaign. For eight months, she committed to doing lunges every single day—even from her hospital room—while sharing her powerful message:

“If you have lungs, you can get lung cancer.”

During her treatments, Amy met many patients who had to endure long, exhausting drives to and from Edmonton for radiation and chemotherapy. She saw firsthand the tremendous physical, emotional and financial strain this placed on families already facing one of the most difficult times of their lives.

One of Amy’s final wishes was to create a place where out-of-town cancer patients and their families could stay while receiving treatment in Edmonton—a true home away from home where they could feel safe, supported and cared for.

Amy passed away on February 22, 2019, but her dream did not end with her passing.

On September 28, 2019—what would have been Amy’s 39th birthday—the first Amy’s House officially opened its doors. As the need for free accommodations continued to grow, a second home opened in May 2023.

On September 27, 2025, the third Amy’s House was announced, bringing the total to three neighbouring homes serving families who must travel to Edmonton for cancer treatment. Together, these homes provide comfort, stability and a sense of community during an incredibly challenging chapter in their guests’ lives.

Amy’s House is the fulfillment of Amy’s dream—a living legacy of her strength, compassion and unwavering desire to help others, even while facing her own battle.

Her spirit lives on in every family welcomed through the doors and in every person who helps carry her dream forward.