01 Jun From The Bottom Of Her Broken Heart

Posted at 11:33h in Uncategorized by

You’ve never met little Ella, but you’ve been helping her fight for her life since she was just 4 days old.

Ella and her family are grateful to you

Her grandmother — also named Ella, but better known as Gram — doesn’t know what their family would do without you and your generous support of Ronald McDonald House®.

Keep reading to see how you’re helping their family stay together — and close to the care baby Ella needs to live.

Tiny Broken Heart

Ella was diagnosed with a heart defect when she was still in the womb. Her mom Jessica and her Gram researched their options. They found a surgeon who could operate on Ella when she was born.

But shortly after her birth, doctors realized that Ella’s condition was much more complicated than they’d thought. In addition to her heart defect, she  had a cleft palate, breathing issues, and other heart conditions.

“The surgeon came to us and said, ‘I can’t do the surgery,’” Gram recalls. “All we heard was, ‘Our baby is going to die.’”

The surgeon referred them to another hospital, states away. They had to leave immediately. Ella’s life depended on it.

“We were scared, because we’d have to be so far from home and away from our family for such a long time,” Gram says.

But thanks to you, they found a supportive “family” at Ronald McDonald House. Through your gifts, you gave Jessica and Gram a loving place to stay and all the comforts of home, right by the hospital where Ella would have her surgery.

Close When It Matters Most

You keep Ella’s family together when Ella is hospitalized far from home.

Gram is grateful to stay at the House for countless reasons, but one chilling memory stands out. She and Jessica were sleeping in their room at the  House one night when a phone call awakened them.

It was a nurse, who said, “Be on your way to the hospital. We just started performing CPR on Ella.”

Gram and Jessica didn’t hesitate before rushing out the door. Minutes later, they were by Ella’s side as she fought to live.

“Can you imagine if we’d had to drive across town to the hospital at that time?” Gram asks. “What a difference those minutes made. It meant everything to us.”

Today, Ella continues to undergo treatment and grow healthier. Gram stays at the House while Jessica commutes back and forth for her job.

Thanks to you, Ella hasn’t had to face a single day of treatment alone.

Gram has a special message for you for making her stay possible: “Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It is a blessing to be at Ronald McDonald House.”

If you believe that nothing should keep a family apart while their child receives medical care, please give again now. Click the donate button to give your gift today. Thank you!