From the time Sandra was six, her mother, Magdalena, knew something was wrong. Her growth was slower than her siblings, and she had persistent pain in her abdomen. Doctors dismissed Magdalena’s concerns until 2016, when they finally recognized the seriousness of Sandra’s condition: both of her kidneys were failing. Magdalena felt like she was living in a nightmare.
Sandra arrived at Atrium Health Levine Children’s Brenner Children’s Hospital, where doctors declared it a miracle she was alive. She fought for months in the hospital, receiving dialysis.
Sandra became a kidney transplant recipient in 2017. For the first time, the family stayed at Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Piedmont Triad (RMHCPT) while Sandra recovered, overwhelmed by the warmth and comfort the House offered. “Everything I have at home, I have here,” Magdalena said through tears.
But Sandra’s journey wasn’t over. Her transplanted kidney failed five years later, and she returned for dialysis treatments. When the family needed shelter again, RMHCPT opened its doors, providing a home away from home as they navigated more difficult months. Then Hurricane Helene devastated the NC mountains last September and the family lost power, water, communication, and most importantly, access to meet Sandra’s medical needs. With a leap of faith, they made the dangerous drive to Winston-Salem, where Sandra was immediately admitted to the hospital, and the family returned to our House for 15 days.
Finally, a long-awaited call came this January: Sandra could receive a new kidney. Now, as the family spends two months at RMHCPT for Sandra’s recovery, Magdalena shares her gratitude. “I can never repay RMHCPT for all they’ve done, but I pray God blesses those who support this place,” she says.
Your support makes stories like Sandra’s possible. Thank you for being the miracle that gives hope to families in need.