Where Surplus Becomes Solace: MedCycle Network Partners with George Mark Children's House
MedCycle Network is honored to announce our new partnership with George Mark Children's House in San Leandro, the first freestanding pediatric palliative care center in the United States for children. This is a partnership that speaks directly to the heart of why we do this work.
A Home Like No Other
When a child is facing a serious medical condition or life-limiting illness, families can find themselves exhausted, frightened, and in desperate need of support. George Mark Children's House was built for exactly these families.
Nestled on five peaceful acres in San Leandro, George Mark is the country's first free-standing pediatric respite home. There is a sun-filled Great Room where families gather, a garden called Hummingbird Hill where hummingbirds carry special meaning for the children and their loved ones, a warm-water hydrotherapy spa, an art room full of color and creativity, and eight beautifully themed patient rooms where medical equipment is tucked discreetly behind sliding panels, because here, the child always comes first.
George Mark provides respite care, giving exhausted parents a chance to rest while their child is held in expert, loving hands. They offer transitional care for families learning to manage complex medical needs at home. And when a child's life is drawing to a close, they provide end-of-life care that is quiet, dignified, and surrounded by the people who love them most.
If you want to understand the heart behind this place, we invite you to watch founder Dr. Kathy Hull's TED Talk, Stories from a Home for Terminally Ill Children. Her vision, that every child deserves comfort, meaning, and joy, no matter what they are facing, is alive in every corner of this home.
Supplies Delivered with Care
When George Mark connected with MedCycle Network, we reviewed their needs and matched them with surplus supplies sourced directly from our partner UCSF Health. Every item delivered supports the gentle, around-the-clock care their team provides every day.
Bed pads and large Chux help keep children comfortable during extended stays, maintaining the dignity every patient deserves. Perineal cold packs and instant hot packs provide pain relief and post-procedure comfort, small gestures that carry enormous meaning when a child is in pain. Chemotherapy-rated surgical gloves and surgical gowns protect caregivers and patients during complex clinical procedures. Bioseal cotton squares and formalin absorbent pads support the wound care and specimen handling that happens quietly behind the scenes, making compassionate care possible.
Every box carefully labeled. Every item tracked and verified. All of it delivered free of charge, because the families and staff at George Mark are already carrying enough.
Why This Partnership Matters
George Mark Children's House runs on donor generosity and volunteer dedication. Every dollar not spent on medical supplies is a dollar that can go toward their mission as they help children find joy even in hard moments, and their staff who show up every single day with open hearts.
At MedCycle Network, we believe reliable access to medical supplies is foundational to delivering reliable care. That belief applies just as powerfully here, in a place where caregivers are not just treating illness, but holding space for some of the most profound human experiences imaginable.
Walking through that entryway, past the beloved giraffe, beneath a mural bearing the names of families forever connected to this house, reminded us of something important: medical surplus in the right hands becomes comfort. It becomes care. It becomes one less worry for a family that has too many already.
"Partnering with MedCycle Network has been a true gift for our team and the families we serve. Every dollar we save on essential medical supplies is a dollar we can put back into the programs, the people, and the compassion that make George Mark Children's House a home. For the families who come to us in their most vulnerable moments, that matters more than we can say, and we're grateful to have a partner who understands that." — Alijah Marquez Campagna, Assistant Director of Advancement, George Mark Children's House
A Partnership Just Beginning
This delivery is our second, with more on the way soon. We are committed to collaborating with the George Mark team, reviewing their needs, and matching them with high-quality medical surplus.
Because every child at George Mark deserves a team that is fully equipped, fully supported, and free to focus on what matters most: being present.
"George Mark Children's House represents exactly the kind of partner MedCycle Network was built to serve, a dedicated team doing extraordinary work, often with limited resources. Getting the right supplies into their hands so they can focus entirely on the children and families in their care, that's what our mission is all about." —Andy Pines, Board Chair & Co-Founder, MedCycle Network
Join Us To Transform Medical Surplus Into Health Access
MedCycle Network's mission is rooted in action, turning surplus into service and logistics into life-changing care. With local hospital partners, community allies, and supporters like you, we're building a stronger local health ecosystem.
Support our mission to keep caregivers like the George Mark team equipped and empowered to do what they do best, care for children and families when they need it most.
Become a Partner or Donate Now knowing your involvement truly makes a life-changing difference.