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Family Matters — Maddy’s Transplant Journey

Can you imagine being uprooted for over two years?

Maddy and Daniel can.

“Our worlds revolve around Maddy. She’s the glue of our family.”

— Maddy's Dad, Daniel

Montana to California Graphic - Maddy's Story

Be a hero. Join our community of support.

One family’s journey, an entire community of support.

Over the past two years, we have relied on you, our community of supporters, to forge through the storm of medical crises. No one knows the importance of this community support better than Daniel, a single father and the sole caregiver for his 8-year-old daughter, Maddy.

Prior to Maddy’s birth, Daniel and his late wife Jenny received life changing news. “The doctors informed us that she had three holes in her heart and that her left kidney wasn’t formed,” Daniel explained. Their rural hometown in Montana lacked access to even the most basic health care, let alone the advanced neonatal care Maddy needed to survive. More than a thousand miles away from the nearest children’s hospital, Daniel and Jenny grappled with the news, unsure of how to access the care their baby’s life depended on. Then, just a month after Maddy’s birth, another tragedy hit—a head-on collision took her mother’s life.

As Daniel coped with his wife’s death, Maddy’s condition worsened each year. When Maddy’s kidney function dropped to 17 percent, Daniel received a call sending their family on a new journey—it was time to make the 1,200-mile drive from Montana to the Bay Area so Maddy could access specialized dialysis treatments while they waited for a kidney transplant.

Walking into the Ronald McDonald House, Daniel says, they were instantly welcomed by a generous community they could rely on for housing, meals, and emotional support. “If it wasn’t for Ronald McDonald House, I don’t know where we’d be, but we would probably be homeless,” he said. Struggling with injuries sustained from the car accident that took his wife’s life, Daniel requires help from extended family to care for Maddy. Thanks to supporters like you, Daniel, his brother Donald, and his parents, Dannie and Margaret, stay together, moments away from Maddy’s life saving treatments.

The family’s world turned upside down again when COVID-19 hit. Daniel says he can’t imagine being anywhere else with a sick child.

“To me, it’s a godsend. I have a safe environment for Maddy to be in, and she can still maintain her care.” As the pandemic continues, our frontline RMHC Bay Area team works ’round the clock to ensure housing is safe enough for the sickest of children in our care and are keeping families fed through expanded daily meal support.

“Our worlds revolve around Maddy,” he said. “She’s the glue of our family.” With your support, families like Maddy and Daniel’s have hope for the future. As families served by Ronald McDonald House Charities Bay Area cope with the uncertainty of medical crisis, your donations ease the emotional and financial burdens they endure. Together, supporters like you are the glue that keeps families together.

Give today, be a hero. Thank you for helping bring our vision to life: to create communities where children and their families embrace life and healing with a sense of hope, courage, and joy.

 

With gratitude,

 

 

Laura Keegan Boudreau, MSW, MPH

CEO, Ronald McDonald House Charities Bay Area

Fun Facts About Maddy

She LOVES Baby Yoda!

Her favorite singer is JOJO SIWA!

Follow us on social media @RMHCBayArea to keep up with Maddy’s Story!

P.S. We have more to share with you about Maddy and Daniel’s medical journey this holiday season. Stay tuned for another update in December.

Donors make these stories possible

Why your gift matters

21,000 nights of rest

for families nearby and inside the hospital

$10,860,000 in economic relief

for families with sick children

25,000 toys and care items

donated for Comfort & Joy with an estimated value of $185,416

73,000 meals

provided to families with children in the hospital

94,000+ pounds

was distributed through our meal program

$1.3 million-worth of goods & services

donated to keep families and staff safe & cared for

1,000 nights of alternative housing

made possible by Veritas, Apartment List & Airbnb

106 students

accessed remote learning through our Ronald McDonald House School

Mobile Version

A Transplant Journey

Can you imagine being uprooted for over two years?

Maddy and Daniel can.

One family’s journey, an entire community of support.

Read Maddy's Story. >>

If the past two years have shown us anything, it’s that the support of our community can help us get through the darkest of times. No one knows this better than Daniel, a single father and the sole caregiver for his 8-year-old daughter, Maddy.

Before Maddy was born, Daniel and his late wife Jenny received news that would change their lives forever. “The doctors informed us that she had three holes in her heart, and that her left kidney wasn’t formed.” Daniel explained. At home in Montana, they lived in a rural community with low access to even the most basic health care, let alone the advanced neonatal care Maddy would need to survive. More than a thousand miles away from the nearest children’s hospital, Daniel and Jenny grappled with the news, unsure of how they would manage to access the care their baby’s life depended on. Then, just a month after Maddy was born, another tragedy hit—a head-on collision took her mother’s life.

As Daniel coped with the loss of his wife, Maddy’s condition worsened each year. When her kidney function dropped to 17 percent, Daniel received the call that would set their family on a new journey—it was time to make the nearly 1,200-mile drive from Montana to the Bay Area so Maddy could access specialized dialysis treatments while they waited for a kidney transplant.

Walking into the Ronald McDonald House, they were instantly welcomed by a generous community they could rely on for housing, meals, and emotional support. “If it wasn’t for Ronald McDonald House, I don’t know where we’d be, but we would probably be homeless,” Daniel said. Instead, thanks to supporters like you, Daniel, his brother Donald, and parents, Dannie and Margaret, can stay together and moments away from Maddy’s medical team as she receives lifesaving treatment.

When COVID-19 hit, the family’s world was turned upside down again. Daniel says, he can’t imagine being anywhere else with a sick child. “To me, it’s a godsend. I have a safe environment for Maddy to be in, and she can still maintain her care.” As the pandemic continues, our frontline team is working ’round the clock to provide housing safe enough for the sickest of children in our care and are keeping families fed through expanded daily meal support.

“Our worlds revolve around Maddy,” he said. “She’s the glue of our family.” With your support, families like Maddy and Daniel’s have hope for the future. As families served by Ronald McDonald House Charities Bay Area cope with the uncertainty of medical crisis, your donations are essential in easing the emotional and financial burdens they endure. Together, supporters like you are the glue that keeps families together.

Give today, be a hero. Thank you for helping bring our vision to life: to create communities where children and their families embrace life and healing with a sense of hope, courage, and joy.

 

With gratitude,

Laura Keegan Boudreau, MSW, MPH

CEO, Ronald McDonald House Charities Bay Area

P.S. We have more to share with you about Maddy and Daniel’s medical journey this holiday season. Stay tuned for another update in December.

“Our worlds revolve around Maddy. She’s the glue of our family.”

— Maddy's Dad, Daniel

Be a hero. Join our community of support.

Fun Facts About Maddy

She LOVES Baby Yoda!

Her favorite singer is JOJO SIWA!

Follow us on social media @RMHCBayArea.

Donors make these stories possible

Why your gift matters

21,000 nights of rest

for families nearby and inside the hospital

$10,860,000 in economic relief

for families with sick children

1,000 nights of alternative housing

made possible by Veritas, Apartment List & Airbnb

25,000 toys and care items

donated for Comfort & Joy with an estimated value of $185,416

73,000 meals

provided to families with children in the hospital

94,000+ pounds

was distributed through our meal program

$1.3 million-worth of goods & services

donated to keep families and staff safe & cared for

106 students

accessed remote learning through our Ronald McDonald House School