“Baker got very sick starting in November of 2024. We were at multiple ERs and urgent care centers, but nothing was clear until February 4, 2025. We were told he had the flu, covid, pneumonia, you name it. But until Cincinnati did a biopsy, we didn’t know he actually had cancer (anaplastic large cell lymphoma).

We utilized the Ronald McDonald from February to June of 2025, and we’ve continued to stay there when Baker has scans and appointments scheduled. Ronald McDonald House served us in pretty much every way. From having a cozy place to sleep, to free yummy meals, play spaces, trips to the zoo and a community of people going through similar things that we were… there really is nothing like it. I don’t know what we would’ve done without it.

Childhood cancer is evil and cruel, no matter how you look at it. As a mother to a three-year-old who had it, loneliness and grief are so heavy during chemo treatments. Ronald McDonald House filled so many spaces I didn’t even realize I’d be thankful for. The physical and mental safety we felt was incomparable. Baker and his brothers had so many special moments there as well. They had to be away from each other so much and the House gave them a place to just be brothers and hang out like they would at home. My mom actually worked from the House as well, so that she could be close to us. She wouldn’t have been able to be with us if it weren’t for the House.

I want donors to know that even though it may seem small, having bathroom toiletries and laundry supplies anytime we needed it was HUGE for us. That made our everyday lives so much easier. Without Ronald McDonald House, we would not have been able to have those crucial moments of closeness as a family.

Baker is one year cancer-free as of June 2, 2026! He will be five on June 4, and he is living his best life! Some of his best memories during that time in his life happened at/because of Ronald McDonald House. THANK YOU for all of the work you guys put into this place. Families like mine would be lost without it. “

-Marissa, Baker’s mom