CANTON, Mass. — Just days after learning the rehab center may shut down, current and former patients of Pappas Rehabilitation Hospital for Children spoke against the state’s proposal.
Wednesday, Gov. Maura Healey outlined Massachusetts’ Fiscal Year 2026 state budget. Coverage for the center was not included. The transition out could begin as soon as this Fall.
Pappas Rehab Hospital for Children in Canton offers services for ages 7-22 who suffer from severe disabilities.
Ann MacDonald spent four years on its campus and is now leading a life of her own.
“Pappas is not just a hospital,” she told Boston 25 Thursday. “Pappas is home.”
MacDonald suffers from cerebral palsy. She was born in China but said her parents didn’t want her after the diagnosis. She lived with her grandparents until moving to Massachusetts with her aunt and uncle at the age of 17.
She underwent double hip surgeries at Children’s Hospital after her condition grew worse.
Eventually, she was directed to Pappas Rehab Hospital.
The center allowed her to make friends, go to class, participate in sports, and grow close with nurses and staff on campus.
“You can’t choose your own family, but you can create your own family,” she said. Without Pappas, she added, “I would never learn how to make friends, to experience new things, to see how big the world is.
The state plans on relocating the program to the Western New England Hospital in Westfield. They cited worsening infrastructure and reallocation of services for the potential move.
Miguel Rivera, a patient of the hospital, told Boston 25 over the phone that he’s unsure what his future now looks like.
He explained, “I just feel like if I go to a different facility, there might not be a chance for me to be able to walk.”
Rivera, a Worcester teenager, is paralyzed from the waist down after being shot in the neck.
He said he’s almost able to get back on his feet.
“I never thought this could happen… like be a normal person, like a normal human being using the bathroom on my own,” said Rivera. “I thought that would never happen. I thought my mom and dad would have to take care of me for the rest of my life.”
Gov. Healey Wednesday said she understands the tremendous impact this may have on patients, their families, and employees.
The proposed budget has yet to be approved.
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