Community leaders say the Valley is long overdue for a hospice facility specifically for children.

The area will move a step closer to filling that void Wednesday at the groundbreaking for Ryan House, a palliative-care facility for children.

Every day thousands of children face life-threatening illnesses, and though hospitals and hospices do their best to serve them, Ryan House will offer them and their families even more support.

Ill children and their families will be able to stay 28 days at the house, which will be at Merrell Street and First Avenue in Phoenix. Builders hope to complete it by summer 2009.

Annie Gieseking, neuro-oncology program coordinator at Phoenix Children's Hospital, works with children with brain tumors and often deals closely with hospices.

"I think (the Ryan House opening) is fabulous, because there are a couple facilities, but they definitely are not pediatric-oriented," she said. "With the number of kids in this state, it's definitely something that's needed."

More than 3,500 Arizona children today have illnesses that would qualify them to stay at Ryan House, a concept Jonathan and Holly Cottor developed after staying in a similar facility in London several years ago.

A physical therapist told the Scottsdale couple about London's Helen House after their 9-month-old son, Ryan, was diagnosed with a genetic motor-neuron disease that causes severe weakness.

The Cottors were told it was highly unlikely that Ryan would live to see his second birthday. He will turn 7 the same day as the Ryan House groundbreaking, thanks in part to support he received at Helen House.

Back in the Valley, the couple went on a mission to help other children and families here and provide the same kind of experiences that changed their family's life.

Ryan House aims to be a home away from home for families with children suffering from life-threatening illnesses. The facility will be able to house three families at a time and will have nearby overflow space.

"It will be a place where families can get a break from that 24/7 care for their child," said Nancy Martin, Ryan House executive director.

"The Cottors represent a whole population of people who most people don't understand, don't understand what's going on in their lives - that's the people with a child whose lives are probably not going to be very long. It's a very isolating situation for families to be in."

The need for more palliative-care options for Valley residents is growing as the population increases.

On any given day, about 50 kids receive care from Hospice of the Valley, officials said.

"There are many more children with life-limiting illnesses in Maricopa County than people realize," said Susan Levine, executive director of Hospice of the Valley. "Some of those children are years away from looking at their last chapter, but the kind of care and support they need is just really a lot."

Hospice of the Valley, St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, and the Junior League of Phoenix are among several community partners behind Ryan House. The non-profit is about halfway through a $6.5 million fundraising campaign.

Much of the Ryan House experience will be about connecting with families in similar situations. Families often eat together and their children have the chance to socialize with others like them.

Our goal "is to provide them with some support they might not otherwise get," Martin said. "We're going to help those kids come out of whatever shell they might be in and let them be children for a while and hopefully really find a joy in life that they might not otherwise experience."

The philosophy behind Ryan House is one of support. In addition to becoming a resource for the families, the facility will offer art, music and pet therapies, and other activities to help families deal with their situations.

"Ryan House can provide the social, emotional and spiritual support from the time of diagnosis through end of life, if it's needed," Holly Cottor said.

Her husband, Jonathan, agreed.

"At the end of the day, it's a simple model," he said. "It's intended for friends and family helping friends and family."