The Suchon Family
Dear Ronald McDonald House Staff,
We got married in August this year. As we were planning the wedding, we wanted to find a way to share our new joy and use our special day to help others. The Ronald McDonald House Charities have played an important role in both of our families, and we decided to give back. Instead of clinking glasses to get us to kiss at dinner, we asked our guests to donate to the RMHC. Our guests were so enthusiastic that some of them dropped in money without waiting for us to kiss! We collected enough money by the end of the night that we could donate to the three Houses that have been closest to our hearts.
The RMHC came into Jason's life early on when his brother Ben was born with a serious heart condition. Among other things, the arteries in his heart didn't work correctly. Instead of pumping oxygenated blood throughout his body, they merely rotated it between his heart and lungs. He underwent many treatments and a life-saving operation at the Mayo Clinic, becoming only the 25th person in the world to have the surgery. During all of this, Jason and his parents stayed at the Ronald McDonald House. The staff was so supportive and made the many trips to Rochester much easier! Ben was the best man at our wedding, and made our goal to raise money for the RMHC even more meaningful.
Allison's family got their introduction to the work of the RMHC in 2005 when her cousin Stacey lost her son. Carter was nine-and-a-half months old when he started acting lethargic and feverish. Stacey took him to the doctor who assured her it was because Carter was teething. A few days later, on a Tuesday, he was a lot worse and Stacey look him back in to the doctor. His doctor found a tumor on his liver the size of a baseball. They were immediately sent to the Mayo Clinic, where Carter was diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma and they discovered that the cancer had already metastasized. The tumor was so fast-growing that within four days it had already doubled in size. The following Monday - less than a week after being diagnosed - Carter passed away. During Carter's time in the hospital, Stacey, her husband Jason and their older son Colton stayed at the Ronald McDonald House. When it became clear that Carter was losing his battle, they wanted their family to be able to say goodbye to him. Stacey's father (Allison's paternal uncle) was paralyzed earlier that year when he slipped on the ice shoveling snow. We weren't sure how to get him from La Crosse to Rochester to see Carter. That's when the RMHC stepped in. They not only gave Uncle Joe a handicap-accessible place to stay, but also accessible transportation to and from the hospital. The staff at the House was incredible and our family wouldn't have made it through the sorrow without you. Their support and empathy helped us through a nightmare.
The RMHC in Marshfield joined our family a year ago. Jason's cousin Kelly was just over five-months' pregnant when she developed HELLP syndrome. She was rushed to the hospital unconscious and the only option to save her life was to deliver. Dane was born weighing just over a pound and only nine inches long. He put up a strong fight, going through daily blood draws, surgeries, treatments, and being hooked up to countless machines. But eventually his liWe body couldn't keep up and his kidneys began to fail. Dane's father Christian and Kelly had the make the heart-wrenching decision to take him off life support. At only 32 days old, Dane passed away. During this heartbreaking experience, the RMHC was there. Christian - who traveled up from Alabama - found a home away from home at the House. Staying at the House also saved Kelly from having to drive to and from Stevens Point every day. They were able to spend precious time all day at the hospital with Dane and then go to the House to shower, get a hot meal and try to get some sleep. The staff was so wonderful. Their experience helping families through difficult situations helped ease some of the suffering our family was going through.
The RMHC in Madison has also played a big part in our life together. Allison works for ETC (Electronic Theatre Controls) as a writer in the Marketing department. One of the first writing assignments I had was to write about the Light the House . fundraising campaign. ETC - a lighting company - provided a lighted display to raise awareness of the campaign. Researching the work that the RMHC does brought us closer to the heart of your charity. Since then, we've donated to the Light the House campaign each year, along with sharing cookies at Christmastime, tons of pop tabs and other little things to help out. We want to make sure the families coming to Madison and dealing with similar struggles as our family has gone through, always have the comfort of a home away from home.
Thank you so much for what you do!
Jason and Allison Suchon