This is our daughter, Raegan. At the beginning of March 2023, we noticed bruising on her legs, with her being almost 18 months, we didn’t think anything of it until she stopped walking and slept 80% of the day. We made an appointment with our family doctor, and she referred us to an orthopedic doctor and a hematologist, as they said she was anemic. We followed up with the orthopedic doctor and had an appointment on March 21st, where they diagnosed her with toxic synovitis, which is basically inflammation of the hip. The orthopedic doctor told us to give it a week and, if she didn’t improve, to come back in. I had missed the call from hematology on a Friday and planned to call back the following week because our primary team assured us it wasn’t anything that needed immediate attention.
On Monday, March 27th, I noticed a small purple dot on her inner thigh. We decided to take her to our local hospital emergency room. After labs, it showed her WBC (white blood cell) count was extremely low, as were her platelets. Our ER called Ebeid Children’s, and they wanted us to be transferred there, which is over an hour away from our home. My husband took our 3-year-old son to my parents and rushed to Toledo to meet us. We arrived in Toledo via ambulance around 3 am, our baby had more labs done, and by 9 am on March 28th, the day she turned 18 months, she was diagnosed with AML, Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Our whole world turned upside down. Our perfect baby girl was fighting for her life, and we had no idea.
After the initial shock, we called our immediate family and broke the news. Right away, my parents dropped everything to be with us. They packed up our son Reid and a few bags, not knowing where they would stay or for how long we’d be there.
Our social worker got us in touch with the Ronald McDonald House just across the street from the hospital. They welcomed us with open arms. They provided a place for our family to stay that was close to Raegan, and allowed us time to be with our son. Our family has never really been apart. Our hearts were heavy trying to figure out how to be there for our daughter but not letting our son fall through the cracks. Having Reid and my parents at the Ronald McDonald House was a blessing. My husband and I would have supper with our son while my parents stayed with Raegan. My parents and Reid stayed at the Ronald McDonald House for the first month.
Raegan ended up needing three rounds of chemotherapy at Toledo, and each time we were admitted, we were welcomed at the Ronald McDonald House. My parents would stay Thursday – Sunday night, and my husband and son would stay after work Friday – Sunday evening.
We are so thankful for the Ronald McDonald House. They welcomed us with open arms and provided us with snacks, home-cooked meals, activities, toys to keep our son occupied, and a place to relax to escape the nightmare that became our reality.
Raegan had a Bone Marrow Transplant at CS Motts in Ann Arbor, MI. Again, the Ronald McDonald House welcomed us as we had another month’s stay, providing a home away from home. She is now seven months post-BMT and doing amazingly well. We don’t have the words to describe how thankful we are for the Ronald McDonald House and its volunteers and supporters. Thank you to everyone who provided us comfort during the most challenging days of our lives.
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