Baby Shane was admitted to Children’s Wisconsin on May, 11, 2024, due to complications from feeding. While his mom, Alicia, was producing enough milk, doctors thought the milk was lacking the fat needed for Shane to gain weight. She expected a short stay – just long enough to work with a lactation consultant and gain the information needed to help…
Sherry Moore and Sara Wroblewski agree that the biggest impact our Ronald McDonald House® has made on their families is friendship. It had been a long day at the hospital and families were gathering in the Family Dinner Kitchen for dinner. Sherry recalls that she had just finished eating quietly by herself when then four-year-old, Ashton, walked over to a…
In February of 2023, five-year-old Nicolas was admitted to Children’s Wisconsin for Congestive Heart Failure, underlying cause, Dilated Cardiomyopathy. After staying two nights with him in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU), the Mau family was referred to Ronald McDonald House Charities Eastern Wisconsin. After 25 days in the hospital, Nicolas was released with medical management. Just two months later,…
Over the years, our Ronald McDonald House® has been a home away from home for Matthew, Kristin, Caiden, Kaylee and Katherine Schultz for 502 nights. As new parents, my wife Kristin and I knew very little of the world surrounding the hospital or the Ronald McDonald House. Sure, we had seen the coin boxes at McDonald’s® and heard about ways…
Shortly after her 2nd birthday, Lydia Warrens was diagnosed with clear cell sarcoma of the kidney (CCSK). A rare diagnosis, CCSK represents 2-4% of all renal cancer diagnoses in children and can quickly spread from the kidney to other organs, including the bone, lungs, brain and soft tissues. Lydia and her mom, Sara, were transported via helicopter from Green Bay…
“We began our foster care/adoption journey in 2012. Given that we have medically complex/fragile children, we are frequent flyers at Children’s Wisconsin and the Ronald McDonald House®. What a gift both places continue to be! This past November into December, our Charlie was inpatient in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). It was exhausting, and not knowing whether his lungs and…
It was a routine doctor visit for a 20-week ultrasound that changed everything for Alaskan natives, Brittany and Jeremy Lussi, the parents of five boys (Liam, Seth, Jack and twins Rhet and Rory), with twins Beau and Theo on the way. The ultrasound revealed that Theo had a congenital heart defect that would require surgical intervention within his first weeks…
By Alexa Steinbach Before she was born, our daughter Elsie was diagnosed with a complex congenital heart defect known as Tetralogy of Fallot with Pulmonary Atresia and Major Aortopulmonary Collateral Arteries (MAPCAs). Elsie was born on December 14, 2020, at the Froedtert Birth Center and immediately transferred to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Children’s Wisconsin (CW). Although we…
When Brianna and Andy took their kids sledding in early March, they did not anticipate a fun family outing turning into a nightmare. Their seven-year-old daughter, Ellie, was riding downhill with a friend when their sled hit an icy patch and sent them full-speed into a tree. Ellie was unconscious, missing teeth and had an extensive leg injury. She was…
Editor’s Note: At the time of publication, Alex and family had to say goodbye to sweet Ava. With the family’s permission, we share this story, honoring Ava’s memory. When you look at the smiling faces of Rachel, Jessica and Alex (pictured above, left to right), you see three strong women with an unbreakable bond. They affectionately refer to themselves as…
