- Nathan Wright
Story by Jennifer Wright
Mr. Appliance, Marketing Specialist
On Feb. 12, 2008, my husband and I were blessed with the birth of our son. In our eyes he was perfect. Ten fingers, 10 toes, eyes, mouth, ears and nose – everything seemed in check. So imagine our surprise when it was determined he had a heart murmur. And while a heart murmur in a newborn isn’t entirely out of the ordinary, further testing revealed he had an abnormal aortic valve. One week after he was born, just barely after getting out of the hospital, we were off to see the pediatric cardiologist in Austin. Over the next few weeks the cardiologist watched closely as it appeared the walls of the valve were growing narrower and narrower. On March 10, just four weeks after Nathan was born we found ourselves at Dell Children’s Hospital in Austin, Texas. Nathan was going in to have a balloon catheterization procedure to open the walls of his aortic valve that had begun to narrow.
As you can imagine there were a lot of appointments and events that took place during these first four weeks. It seemed we were always on the phone with the doctor’s office discussing his “condition”. My husband and I were both often overwhelmed by all of the information being thrown at us. As we prepared for the surgery, a representative from the hospital called to give me all of the details. In that conversation she asked if we needed arrangements for the night before the surgery and offered a stay at the Ronald McDonald House®.
On the evening before his surgery we checked in to the house. As it turns out the Austin location, in which we stayed, was one of the most energy efficient houses built to date. The staff at the house was extremely friendly, and the mood was very comfortable. There were families rustling about watching television in the common areas, reading the paper, conversing with each other, etc. Once inside our room I couldn’t help but notice the various items that had been donated by local organizations. Towels and linens by one group, toiletries by another and so on.
As we checked out of the home the next morning I was speaking to the staff and asked how they were able to offer such great accommodations at such an inexpensive rate. It was easy – they relied on volunteers and teamwork. You see – there was no room service, no housekeeping, and no concierge. Meals were provided by local organizations each day. If you used something you cleaned it and returned it to its designated spot. When you completed your stay you washed and folded the linens and placed them back at the end of the bed – just as you found them when you arrived. Together everyone kept the house running like a well-oiled machine.
Although my family only stayed for an evening it was very easy to see why the services the house provided were so important. The house was a home to families who had children struggling to overcome illness. It was a source of comfort as people with similar experiences were able to share with one another and become friends.
When we left the hospital I have to admit I thought we were done. Little did I know that this was just the beginning. You see, as it turns out the procedure fixed one problem but created another. And so we’ve continued our visits to the pediatric cardiologist. All the while our doctor has been very honest with us and informed us that Nathan would one day need to have open heart valve replacement surgery.
Nathan is now an active 28-month-old boy, who gets into everything. Looking in from the outside no one would ever suspect that he is living with a congenital heart defect. But the reality is that even though he appears to be so “normal” we will soon enter phase two of fighting this disease. Nathan is scheduled for his first open heart surgery on June 25.
In this time of uncertainty I find comfort in knowing I have a network of family and friends that love and support my family, and I am thankful that Mr. Appliance has become a corporate sponsor of the Ronald McDonald House Charities®; that they have chosen to become part of the team that keeps the charity running like a well-oiled machine.
To find out how you can help the Ronald McDonald Houe of Austin and Central Texas, visit their website and click on the “How You Can Help” button on the navigation bar.
