Home / Family Stories

Family Stories

Families share stories about their “home-away-from-home”

  • 13
    Jan

    The July morning started out just like any other day. Ana headed off to work at a nearby nursing home in Yuma, Arizona. When she left that morning, Ana didn’t know she wouldn’t be returning home that evening. In fact, she wouldn’t be returning home for months. As the day went on, Ana started feeling off. Pregnant with her first child, she knew that something wasn’t right. After a trip the ER, Ana was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and underwent an emergency cesarean section. On July 16th, Ana gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Valeria. Continue Reading Promising Togetherness: Valeria’s Story...

  • 02
    Dec

    As first-time parents, Jaycee and Wyatt from Sunflower, Arizona expected to encounter a few surprises while awaiting their baby boy, but nothing prepared the young couple for this. While visiting her parents in Payson, Arizona, Jaycee was experiencing elevated blood pressure, something that concerned her firefighter friend. After a trip to the ER, doctors sent Jaycee directly to St. Joseph’s Hospital where she was diagnosed with HELLP syndrome, Continue Reading Safe Place to Land: Bo’s Story...

  • 02
    Nov

    Sumer’s mom, Yulie, describes her teenage daughter as sassy and social, but also sensitive and empathetic. Like other high schoolers, she loves music, shopping and most of all, dancing. But Sumer’s time of being a “normal” teenager changed in the spring of 2018 when she began having drug-resistant seizures, sometimes up to 10 a day. Yulie and Sumer’s dad, Francisco, were desperate for answers, so they scheduled an appointment with specialists at Phoenix Children’s Hospital Continue Reading Comforts of Home: Sumer’s Story...

  • 01
    Oct

    At just 14-years-old, Elijah has spent more time in a hospital than most people spend in their lifetime. Born with a congenital heart defect, the teenager has undergone six open heart surgeries. This past August, after he started fainting, Elijah was diagnosed with heart failure, resulting in another surgery to replace a valve. Doctors then discovered a blood clot in his brain that required an additional surgery. Continue Reading Keeping Close: Elijah’s Story...

  • 02
    Sep

    For our Guest Services Manager Bev, working at Ronald McDonald House® is more than just a job. It is a work of heart. That’s because Bev knows exactly what it’s like to be far from home when your child is sick. At two-years old Bev’s daughter Dannielle was diagnosed with a one-in-a-million heart issue. As a single mom with two other kids, Bev and her family found themselves hundreds of miles from home during extremely stressful circumstances Continue Reading A Work of Heart: Bev’s Story...

  • 01
    Jul

    She is described as the “sassy queen” of her family – “Don't call her a princess because she will correct you,” mom Heather said. But countless appointments, surgeries, and treatments have become normal activities for two-year-old Sadie. With breathing issues since birth, brain cysts, and other symptoms, doctors are still trying to determine a diagnosis and treatment plan for Sadie, which also means many trips Continue Reading A Family’s Special Place: Sadie’s Story...