Your stories
Everyone has a story. And this holds especially true for all of you connected to RMHC. You have high points and low times. You have setbacks and rallying spirits. You have tales of inspiration and stories of encouragement.
Share your story with others so they can inspire, encourage, and comfort families across the RMHC community.
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This is a book about a Girl, but not just any girl. This girl has so much courage, strength and bravery. She was a loner and a loser in Elementary School, but she turned her life around in the right direction. She was cool, popular and a lot of guys wanted her. While she was still in High School, she applied for ten Universities and nine of the ten Universities accepted her, so she picked Wilfred Laurie. She finished High School and was planning her future at University, but everything fell apart just before she left…! Why, you ask; she never knew her life was already hanging downside up; then, she fell, hard…! And, everything she ever wanted died with herself… This is about Summer DeFreitas. She had it all, but she never knew her life was hanging on for dear LIFE... Why her.
A Beautiful Tragedy
At that very moment, everything stopped and everybody stopped for that matter. They shed a tear for Summer and went on, forward. They prayed for her and thought about her, but soon after they had to let her go. August 1st, 2004 was the worst day ever; she collapsed, went unconscious, slipped into a coma and actually, died. She had a blood-clot in her brain; a Massive Mycotic Ruptured Cerebral Aneurysm; caused by Strep Throat and then a stroke. Her brain ruptured and swelled and was in a coma for 5 weeks at Trillium Hospital. Then Neuro step down for 3 weeks.
Everybody came together, again to say one last fare well to Summer. A lot of people came to see her; hoping that she would somehow woke up, but still no response! But, one by one, they walked out of her life, because they could not bear the pain. Yes, she did actually died, but when everybody thought she would never come back from the dead, she actually did; 5 - 8 weeks later, surprisingly. Yes, the old person I used to be will never ever come back; not now, not ever but the new, scared, frighten person I am today is still here.
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The McDonald House in Chatanooga Tennesse is not a good place to be. The people there are only nice in the begining. They take you around and show you how things are. With smiles on their faces. Then once you're there for a week things change. Well it started by my family taking left overs from the kitchen. The other people their went and told the director that we made full plates and walked away with it. The director didn't ask us if we did or not. She just accused us of the problem, and of course that was strike one. Then the lady would not hear us out when we tried to explain ourselves. Secondly we had friends here that we knew out side of the House before we came. They asked us nicely if we'd watch their kid just for a moment. The Director just happend to come in, and snapped about us watching the kid. After that a week or so later my mother was here by herself with my little sister. She was washing laundry and my sister just couldn't wait to go down to the game room. So finally my mother took her down there. She told her to stay their for a little while. So she could finish her clothes, and grab a snack. Well the director seen her on camra and of course snapped. At that time my wife and myself came back from visiting our 1lb 6.5oz beautiful daughter. Just as we had stepped in the room and were about to relax. She started tapping on the door. When we came to answer the door. She got real smart with us and was telling us about my little sister being in the game room alone. Even though there were people there with her. After coming to us. She asked were she could find my mother. After the fact of finding out she took off storming to find her. We followed to see what was going on. When we got their she was getting in my mother and sister's face. My sister was trying to be nice and tell her that she wouldn't do it again. At that moment the Director Stuck her finger's in my sister's face. Just an inch away from her lip's. As she did so she proceded to tell my sister to hush. Then she rolled her eye's and started to talk to my mother. My sister started crying. They do not know how to treat people at all. Exspecially the people that already have enough stress on them. Not long after that my mother had to check in to the ER. When she was in there they told my mother that she'd had a light stroke from so much stress around her. There was another family there that was kin to us. We found out that they were kin when we started hanging with them at the House. The family had trouble with someone taking their drinks' and [Read More]
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once i was looking for some people to help me sale some stuff and i found some volunteers.
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In 1985, my wife, my baby boy, and I were at Wilers Childrens Hospital in Chicago for about two weeks and were not informed about the Ronald McDonald house being available. I traveled from Lockport to Chicago every one of those days while my wife stayed at the hospital with our baby boy. The social worker that came by at least once never told us about the Ronald McDonald house in Chicago. My baby boy died there at the hospital. We are now very disappointed with the McDonalds cooperation that we were never told about the Ronald McDonald house being available in Chicago. My wife had to sleep on the chair with a leg rest every night.
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My name is April Brianna Barrier, I'm 19 years old and a senior in high school and I have been working at Macdonalds for over two years. When I was two years old I was diagnosed with leukemia. which broke my parents hearts. When I started kemotherapy I was placed in the Ronald Macdonald House. I stayed there for almost two years. My mom and dad stayed in the House with me and my dad took me to most of my check up's. I don't remeber much about being there and going through treatment but I do remeber my mom always stayed by my side and my nurces. I also remeber being surrounded by my family. When I was five years old I got on remission and been on remission for fourteen years. I still go to my yearly check up's and tests. Now I'm a helthy young women and I now work for th biggest Volunteer in America, MacDonalds! I want to Thank the Ronald Macdonald House for helping me get through my Cancer and being there for me! I shared this story in hopping that you could tell the kids who are going through the same thing I did so that can have hope and soupport from their Family. Thank youo Again.
