Select the story you'd like to read:
When Time Means Everything
Michael and Margaret Ciacciarelli were stunned when their nine-month old son, Max, was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder.
They researched hospitals for the best care, but a big factor in their choice was a nearby Ronald McDonald House. “We knew it was a good place for our three-year-old daughter, Grace” Michael said.
Grace enjoyed the House book club, music time, arts and crafts, movies and day trips. Michael and Margaret did 24-hour shifts at the hospital with Max, returning to the House emotionally and physically exhausted. “We feel like the people and the volunteers at the House lifted us up and carried us through that whole experience. Everything we needed was there,” recalled Margaret.
Max had transplant complications from the beginning, and his health deteriorated quickly. The day before Thanksgiving, Max passed away. “Looking back on such a short life, you start to calculate how important every minute with your child was,” said Michael.
“Every cent that is donated, every bit of food that is cooked, every floor that is swept, any little thing makes such an impact in someone’s life,” Margaret said. “That’s the lesson we try to live by now: the smallest act of kindness, when added up, equals something really huge.”
> Hear more from the Ciacciarellis as they explain When Time Means Everything
The smallest act of kindness, when added up, equals something really huge.
- Margaret Ciacciarelli
