How a seventh grader’s cancer journey sparked a Durham housing project

Harper Harrell was only 8 when she was diagnosed with a fast-growing blood cancer, trading school days for doctor’s appointments at Duke Children’s Hospital.

Now 12 and in remission, her experience is the reason a set of small cottages is rising in west Durham for families facing the same upheaval.

She and her mother, Heather Hindin, have founded Harper’s Home, a nonprofit that plans to offer free housing to parents who would otherwise struggle to stay near their child’s hospital bed. It broke ground this month on a cleared lot at 2101 Strebor St. in the Duke Homestead area, about two miles from the hospital.

“This isn’t just about a place to sleep,” said Harrell, now a seventh grader at Durham’s Brogden Middle School.

“When families can stay together during treatment, it helps make an incredibly hard time feel a little less overwhelming,” she said.

Hindin is a Durham-based educator and single parent to Harper. She knows firsthand how much families need stability to get through treatment. “They need to stay together, hold onto a sense of normalcy. This groundbreaking brings that vision closer to reality for more families.”

And demand is growing, she said. In 2025, “roughly 3,200 families” traveled more than 40 miles for care at Duke Children’s.

The project’s first phase will include two buildings serving up to three families at a time, with full kitchens, in-unit laundry, and space for families to remain together throughout treatment.

Harper’s Home has raised over most of the money for this phase, but still needs $275,000 to meet its $800,000 goal. With construction underway, the group is asking community members and donors to help bring the homes across the finish line.

Eventually, the nonprofit plans eight short-term housing units in six separate homes, available on a sliding scale or free of chatrge.

To learn more or support the project, visit www.harpershomenc.org.

This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 2:32 PM.

Chantal Allam

The News & Observer

919-829-4522

Chantal Allam covers real estate for the The News & Observer and The Herald-Sun. She writes about commercial and residential real estate, covering everything from deals, expansions and relocations to major trends and events. She previously covered the Triangle technology sector and has been a journalist on three continents.