For the past ten years, the “Just like Home” programme has welcomed and supported children who travel to Milan to receive gene therapies developed by the San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-Tiget), together with their families. Launched in 2016, “Just like Home” has so far supported 140 patients through a long and complex journey that, for many, begins thousands of kilometers from home.
Undergoing gene therapy means temporarily relocating to Milan, navigating a different language and culture, and reorganizing everyday life at an especially challenging time. The treatment journey may require a stay of at least four to six months, followed by periodic hospital visits, approximately twice a year, for the 15 years after treatment.
It was precisely to address these needs that Fondazione Telethon launched the “Just like Home” programme, which provides families with assistance throughout the different stages of the treatment journey, from preparing for their trip to their stay in Milan.
A point of reference even before departure
Support begins while families are still in their home country. The programme team helps them prepare for their journey and relocation, find suitable accommodation close to the hospital and, when necessary, navigate administrative requirements, from medical visas and residence permits to hospital admission procedures and medical documentation.
Once in Milan, the aim is to help families establish, as far as possible, a stable daily routine in a comfortable and safe environment, so they can focus on their child and the treatment journey. The team therefore helps families identify accommodation that meets their individual needs, in residences or apartments with convenient connections to the hospital.
Bridging linguistic and cultural differences
For families arriving from abroad, language can be a significant barrier. “Just like Home” therefore works with professional linguistic and cultural mediators, who support families during medical appointments, in their day-to-day communication both inside and outside the hospital, and as they adjust to their new surroundings.
Assistance continues throughout the different stages of the hospital journey. The team works alongside research nurses, psychologists, physiotherapists and doctors, helping families manage the practical and organizational aspects of their stay in Milan.
Caring for emotional wellbeing too
There is also a less visible, but equally important, dimension: emotional wellbeing. During treatment, children spend approximately six weeks in a sterile room, while their parents must take turns staying by their side each day. For a family far from home, especially when there are other children to care for, this can be a particularly demanding time.
For this reason, the programme offers parents and children access to psychological support, as well as to other professionals dedicated to day-to-day care and wellbeing, including caregivers, a music therapist and a somatic coach.
This approach considers the family as a whole: not only the patient and the treatment, but also their practical, linguistic, organizational and emotional needs.
Ten years of welcoming families
Since 2016, “Just like Home” has welcomed 227 patients, 15 of whom underwent transplantation. In 2025 alone, 17 treatments were carried out (15 received gene therapy and two underwent bone marrow transplantation) and 133 follow-up visits were coordinated.
These figures tell only part of the story of the past ten years. Behind each one is a family, a journey, months spent far from home and a daily routine that has to be rebuilt.
This is where the true meaning of the programme lies: making sure that children and their families feel welcomed and supported throughout the treatment journey, just as they would at home.
