Rad Dad

Giving Back After a Mended Heart
We knew that before Eli was born we were going to have a rough start into parenthood. Our son was diagnosed with Coarctation of the Aorta (his aortic was pinched) at Melanie's 26 week ultrasound/echocardiogram. After he was born, we also found out that the left side of his heart hadn't developed fully either (hypoplastic left heart syndrome). You could say we were stressed out... After 7 tough days of differing opinions from a team of cardiologists, Eli had open heart surgery to fix his pinched aorta. Now, two years later, Elijah is alive and well. The cardiologists can't believe the miraculous recovery he has had and how well his left heart has continued to develop.

The reason I chose to help support the Ronald McDonald House Charity is because of the relief it brought to Melanie and I during this critical time. At the hospital there was a Ronald McDonald room where we could relax to take our minds off of the stress, eat our three meals of the day, and visit with family and friends that came to comfort us during our trial. The fact that we had a place to go that wasn't far from Eli gave us the peace we needed to make it through such a hard time in our lives. We were also able to communicate and feel supported from other families that were going through the struggles of "hospital life" at the same time we were. Because of the Ronald McDonald House Charity, we could truly focus on the well-being of our son and not have to worry about our basic needs.