We would like to share one personal story from our employee, Shannon O'Brian, which is just one example of why we want to support the Ronald McDonald Charity this year:

"A couple days after his second birthday, my son Caden woke up with a high fever, lethargic and unable to bear weight or stand up. He was admitted into the hospital that day. For the next week, countless tests were run. He had several blood transfusions and had a picc line put in. We still didn't have a diagnosis, even with a team of doctors working on his case. My husband and I took turns sleeping at the hospital because we had two other young children at home. At this time, since we had no diagnosis and his condition was not improving, one of the doctors on his team referred us to the Ronald McDonald House. This way, we wouldn't have to travel back and forth, and our other young children could stay with us. We got in contact with Ronald McDonald House and were able to learn about the process and set up accommodations. Shortly after we set accommodations, Caden was moved to the pediatric intensive care unit. While in the intensive care unit, the doctors were able to give us a diagnosis of cold agglutinin hemolytic anemia. Which is a disease where he would destroy his own red blood cells when his body reached a certain temperature. He went through a couple more weeks of treatment, but he eventually made a full recovery and hasn't had any complications since and is a happy, healthy 14-year-old! During this difficult time, the Ronald McDonald House allowed us to be close to Caden while also providing support and a home away from home when we needed it the most, which enabled us to focus on Caden's health and recovery."

Please find two pictures of Caden in the gallery.