Family Stories
13 year-old Clara loves basketball. “I was eight when my uncle told me about the Big Dribblers teams at the Y. I gave it a try and just loved it.”
But playing basketball has been anything but a slam-dunk since Clara was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma October 20th. “They said it was cancer and I was having my first treatment the next day,” “It was really scary.”
Clara has lived with her uncle and aunt Al and Shar Balsiger since her mother died of cancer about five years ago. Together, they have lived at the Ronald McDonald House for nearly six months.
On Valentines Day, Clara completed the last of six cycles of chemotherapy. Three days later she was in Wausau, WI competing in the Elks Shootout State Tournament. “
I just had a rough, rough chemo, but I tried. I had lots of fun there.” The cancer has kept Clara from competing with her team this season, but it hasn’t kept her from being a champion.
”The Ronald McDonald House is truly our home-away-from-home. Thank you for everything”
Clara Steinmetz, Age 13, Chippewa Falls, WI
2005 was to be a year of amazing things!
Alyssa Pyper was born on July 25, 2005. She was perfect: 10 fingers, 10 toes, and eyes full of life. We couldn’t have been happier.
Then, less than one month later, our lives turned upside down. Our doctors discovered that Alyssa had a tumor-like mass. One of her doctors’ said, “If it was my child, I would be at the Mayo Clinic.”
Cancer was not a part of our plan for what was to be an amazing year. We’d never been so scared. We left Taylor, our jobs, and our home to get our baby better.
As soon as we arrived at St. Mary’s Hospital, a nurse said, “I’ll call the Ronald McDonald House, you’ll be here for awhile.” It was hard to believe that just 24 hours earlier our lives had been “normal.”
Alyssa was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare infant cancer that affects 1 in 100,000 children. In the next seven months, Alyssa had four surgeries, eight rounds of chemotherapy and numerous blood and platelet transfusions. I can’t describe the hurt your heart feels when something like that is happening to your child.
I thank God for the Ronald McDonald House. The truth is, if we couldn’t stay at the House, we couldn’t afford to be in Rochester.
Tawnya Smith, Alyssa’s mom
This is our adopted 4-year-old son Charlie Sinclair.
Charlie came into our foster home at 9 days old. Charlie has always been a member of our family, but what a happy day when at age 2 ½, he officially became our adopted son! He loves his large family of eight brothers and sisters and one foster brother. Charlie is a very energetic little boy who loves the outdoors.
Charlie became ill in December 2006. Charlie and I had to leave our home and family to seek treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
In April 2007, Charlie was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Surgery is not possible. We have done ten weeks of chemotherapy but it did not help. Now we are doing 30 treatments of radiation.
The Ronald McDonald House is our home-away-from-home. The wonderful staff and volunteers have become our family. Charlie loves them dearly. When you watch Charlie interact with them, you see the love the Ronald McDonald House has. We are safe. On hot, cold, rainy or snowy days, Charlie always has fun things to do. He loves the trains in the lobby the best, and spends hours playing there every week. The game room, outside play yards and planned activities through the week are wonderful.
One day we will leave the Ronald McDonald House but we will always return to visit our home-away-from-home.
Jaci Sinclair, Charlie’s mom Marshalltown, Iowa
I’d like to introduce you to our daughter Cloey. Cloey is a smiling seven year old little girl who inspires and brighten our days. She loves anything "High School Musical", the color pink, Disney Princesses, books, and hugs. Cloey dreams of being a mother and a doctor when she grows up. Her younger brother, sister, mom and dad are her best friends.
Cloey also has a genetic disorder so rare that she is the only documented case in the world. It affects every system in her body. She has had more then 15 surgeries. All of her conditions require multidisciplinary care that can be best received at the Mayo Clinic. Our family makes sacrifices and our church holds fundraisers to help with the financial burden of taking Cloey to Rochester from her home in Arizona.
The Ronald McDonald House helps to significantly ease the stress of these trips. Not only financially, but also by making terribly painful days bearable. Cloey will come back from a day of tests at the Clinic, crying. Then as soon as she says hello to all the volunteers, and proceeds behind the desk to pick out a movie, she feels better. Love and support surround us here. The families help each other through very difficult times. Sometimes its help loading a car and sometimes it's a shoulder to cry on.
The continued expenses for Cloey's care and travel are difficult for our young family. The next five years are going to be rough for us, but Cloey’s spirit is amazing. I know it would not be possible to give Cloey the care she needs to continue to inspire and brighten lives without the Ronald McDonald House.
Megan Gibson, Cloey's mom
