Before they ever needed it, Jennie and Shane Swenson would pass the sign for Crescent Cove along Bass Lake Road. Shane, curious, looked it up online.
It was Crescent Cove Respite & Hospice Home for Kids - a place where children receive respite care, and when needed, end-of-life care.
"We had no idea that one day we would be one of those families who need Crescent Cove," he says.
That was before Brady.
Jennie and Shane have two sons, Jakob and Brady. Jakob was diagnosed with autism at a young age, and his parents devoted themselves to getting him the support he needed. Brady, meanwhile, was a typical 12-year-old — active, kind, full of life. Basketball, bike rides, swimming, books, and friends. And more than anything, he was Jakob's person.
"He was the best friend and protector to his older brother," says Jennie. "He was funny, loving, caring, silly, curious, and smart."
On the morning of Tuesday, February 5, 2019, their lives changed forever.
It began like any other school day. Brady had breakfast with Jakob, helped him pack his lunch, and said goodbye as Jakob boarded the bus to Armstrong High School. Minutes later, while Shane was driving Brady to school, they got into a car accident.
Brady was rushed to North Memorial Hospital, where he spent three weeks in the ICU. Five months at Gillette Children's Hospital for rehabilitation. Thirteen surgical procedures over two and a half years.
Today, Brady experiences seizures, is wheelchair dependent, and faces complex neurological challenges. Jennie left her career to become his full-time caregiver.
The family eventually moved to Maple Grove to better accommodate Brady's needs. Their community rallied around them — Sacred Heart Catholic School in Robbinsdale, their church, neighbors, friends.
He made the call.
"From the moment we walked in, we could feel the warmth and love of Crescent Cove," recalls Jennie. "Even though I was nervous about someone else caring for Brady, I knew that he would be in the greatest of hands there."
Crescent Cove exists because of one woman who saw something in Australia that didn't exist in Minnesota. Katie Lindenfelser, a music therapist, trained at Very Special Kids in Melbourne — a children's hospice home full of, as she describes it, compassion and joy.
"My husband asked me why I didn't do my residency at a children's hospice home in the U.S., and I told him there were only two, and none in Minnesota," Katie says. "He said, 'well, let's build one.'"
It took nine years. When Crescent Cove opened in 2018, it was only the third of its kind in the country — and the only one in the Midwest. Health insurance doesn't cover pediatric hospice or respite care, so donors make it possible for families like the Swensons to receive these services at no cost. Since opening, Crescent Cove has served more than 440 families.
"We are eternally grateful to every person who makes Crescent Cove a possibility for families like ours," says Jennie. "What an amazing gift it has been for our family."
For the Swensons, that gratitude didn't stay theoretical. Crescent Cove never sends a bill — every hour of care is funded by donors — and that generosity is part of what led the family to start giving back themselves, through the Brady Finn Foundation.
The house on Bass Lake Road isn't sad at all.
Support Crescent Cove at the 3rd Annual Pickleball Social, co-hosted by Maple Grove City Lifestyle and Kevin Walsh & Team from Keller Williams Classic Realty Northwest, Sunday, August 16 at Pints & Paddle in Maple Grove. crescentcove.org/pickleballsocial
The Brady Swenson Lucky 13 Tournament — an annual golf event benefiting Sacred Heart Catholic School and Crescent Cove — takes place October 10 at Pheasant Acres Golf Course in Rogers. brady-swenson-lucky-13-tournament.perfectgolfevent.com
"We had no idea that one day we would be one of those families." — Shane Swenson
"From the moment we walked in, we could feel the warmth and love of Crescent Cove. Even though I was nervous about someone else caring for Brady, I knew he would be in the greatest of hands." Jennie Swenson