A home-away-from-home for Anayely and Jesus

April 25th, 2022 | Our Families

After immigrating from Oaxaca, Mexico to the United States, Anayely was excited and eager to start her new life in  Wisconsin. She gave birth to her son, Jesus, in LaCrosse and just days after being discharged from the hospital Anayely received a call that Jesus’s blood test results were abnormal. Anayely took her newborn back to the hospital for another blood test to confirm his diagnosis. Results of the second blood test revealed that Jesus had a condition called severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID).  SCID is a rare genetic disorder that causes life-threatening problems with the immune system. Infants with SCID appear healthy at birth but are highly susceptible to severe infections.

Jesus’ doctors referred Anayely and Jesus to the American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison. After spending five months in the hospital, baby Jesus received a bone marrow transplant to protect him from future infections. Anayely hadn’t thought about where they would stay as Jesus recovered from his surgery, but because of RMHC-Madison, she didn’t have to.

“Without the Ronald McDonald House, I don’t know what I would have done,” said Anayely.

RMHC-Madison took a huge weight off Anayely’s shoulders throughout the duration of their 11-week stay. To the mother and son, the House was much more than just a place to stay. Anayely found peaceful sleep and comfort for the first time in months and Jesus loved spending time in the playroom! The dinners made by volunteers were great when Anayely couldn’t cook herself. Our bilingual volunteers checked with Anayely on their shift each week and even provided groceries for the family to enjoy home-cooked meals. When asked what the best thing about RMHC-Madison was, Anayely said, “Everything!”

Thanks to our bilingual volunteers and interpreter services, RMHC-Madison was able to offer Anayely and Jesus the comfort, care, and support they needed during a very difficult period in their lives. She experienced kindness and respect from everyone at the House through their actions and genuine care. Today, eight-month-old Jesus and mom Anayely are ready to go back to Arcadia to stay with his uncle and baby cousin!