As we journey through life, I think it’s fair to say that in the back of our minds we hope to be fondly remembered and not forgotten. To feel that we made a positive difference in someone’s life or in our environment.
Seventeen years ago, a newborn baby girl (16 days old) underwent heart surgery. Her mom, dad, and
older brother stayed at Ronald McDonald House Orange County as a valve was placed in her heart. This would be the first of several procedures this girl would have to undergo as she grew and developed. Last week, Sofie, who is going into her senior year of high school this fall, stopped by the House with her mom and dad to present the charity with a check of over $5,000! The money was raised by selling hundreds of yard signs in her community which was later matched by dad’s employer, Johnson & Johnson. Sofie didn’t keep a penny for herself. She wanted everything to go back to the charity that helped her family in their time of need.
Now as a teen, Sofie truly understands the difference the House made for her family. The House allowed her parents to be close to her at the hospital and took the stress off her parents so they could focus on the one thing that matters the most- Sofie and helping her heal. Being able to stay at the House meant that Sofie’s family didn’t have to worry about being too tired to drive to and from the Hospital, they didn’t have to think about what they wanted to eat for meals, the House and its volunteers provided a warm meal daily for the family.
To quote Sofie “knowing that the House helped my parents during my multiple surgeries and continues to help other families makes me want to give back.”