30 Years of Love: The Van Iten Family Story

February 5th, 2026 | Our Families

On Christmas Day, 1995, Lorie and Ralph Van Iten brought their 6-month-old daughter, Kayla, to Madison, WI, after receiving a “failure to thrive” diagnosis from doctors in Green Bay. Kayla refused to eat, and her parents had grown exceedingly worried about her declining health.

Lorie shared, “When we stayed here, there was a time when we didn’t know if she was going to make it. We took a picture that I could put on a casket – it sounds terrible, but I did. She just wasn’t eating and was so scrawny.”

The American Family Children’s Hospital (formerly the University of Wisconsin Children’s Hospital in 1995) administered a feeding tube and completed testing in gastroenterology and neurology. She was then diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy (CP) and autism.

After her feeding tube surgery, Kayla stayed in the hospital for a full week under the care of Madison’s best doctors, while Lorie and her mother, Luella, stayed at the Ronald McDonald House.

“I remember being able to come home – back here – and have the kitchen where there was always food set aside. You didn’t have to worry about what you were going to eat when you had so many other things you were worried about. I remember the quiet room that you could go to just to decompress. After you were in a sterile hospital environment, to be able to come back here, into a home, was a comfort,” Lorie shared. “We slept on these awful chairs in her hospital room, so being able to sleep in a bed was restorative.  You’re so exhausted from doctors coming in all throughout the night to check on her – it was nice to be able to recharge the battery, get a good night’s sleep, and go back the next day feeling refreshed. This was a wonderful place for us.”

The family shared they had a great experience with RMHC-Madison and wanted to share their story and give back to families going through medical journeys of their own in honor of the 30 years since their stay.

“My mom and I both remember walking into that room – it was 2 twin beds and a crib. On the beds, they had some presents for my mom and me, and in the crib, they had some things for Kayla and her siblings. The biggest thing I remember was there was a little quilt that someone had made for Kayla that she could take home with her for Christmas… We still have that quilt.”

Lorie’s work – a small dental office in Green Bay – chooses to give back to charities during the holidays in place of gifts amongst the staff each year. Thanks to generous donations from colleagues, matched gifts from the practice’s doctors, and her own family’s contributions, RMHC-Madison received a $650 donation this Christmas, along with several boxes of crocheted blankets and stuffed animals that had been made by Lorie in honor of Kayla’s original quilt.

The Van Iten family was eager to hear about the growth RMHC-Madison has seen over the last 30 years and was blown away by the new rooms and services offered since the House’s expansion in 2019. Their strongest memories of RMHC-Madison included the incredible volunteers who were able to be with them on Christmas Day, the shuttle service provided to and from the hospital, and a special Christmas cookie platter with a child’s handwriting that said, “We Make Cookies for Sick Kids”.

“You can’t ask for better than this,” Ralph said about the House.

The family shared that Kayla kept her feeding tube for 8 years. She is nonverbal and is currently in a great day service program near their home that they all love. She enjoys swimming at the CP Center in Green Bay and watching movies at home. Ralph calls him and Kayla partners as they shop together on the weekends and spend time together throughout the week.

Thanks to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Madison, the Van Iten family had a comfortable place to stay during a time that most spend at home each year. Now, 30 years later, Kayla has a great routine and a life filled with love thanks to the care she received in Madison and the love of her family.