The Children's Inn at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda will renovate its current building with more rooms for patients.
"I know I have to do what I have to do to survive," said Markus Forrester, a patient at the National Institutes of Health.
Forrester was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder in 2013, but did not believe his complications would continue for more than a decade. His lungs collapsed seven times, and he's still recovering from a double lung transplant last year.
"It was tough, really tough," he said. "Not something I'd want anyone to go through."
Forrester is originally from Jamaica but relocated with his mother, Jennifer, because the hospitals in the country weren't equipped with the resources to treat his condition. That's when they ended up staying free at the Children's Inn at the NIH in Bethesda, which is gearing up for an expansion.
"When you leave your home to come here, you need a place of comfort," his mother said. "It's a home away from home, definitely."
The plan includes adding a new building with more patient rooms and renovating the existing building in 2027.
"We are committed to supporting these families now and well into the future," Jennie Lucca, the CEO of Children's Inn at NIH, said at the groundbreaking ceremony.
Forrester said he's glad more children will have access to the Inn and looks forward to spending the holidays with his family. He said he tries to keep a positive mindset that one day, it'll all "be over."
"Try to keep a positive mindset that one day it'll all be over with," he said. "Just keep praying about it, and just stay hopeful."