Amelia Sanchez is a typical 6 year old from Burlington, Ontario who loves drawing, eating pizza, and going to dance class every Saturday. Despite being diagnosed with bi-lateral clubfoot, it hasn’t stopped her from being an active kid. However, as doctors were treating Amelia, they became more worried that her feet were untreatable. 200 hundred different castings later and a surgery lead doctors to believe Amelia would need amputation. The Sanchez family quickly searched for a second opinion and found help at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital almost 700 miles from Ontario.
Amelia’s mom Lauren packed up their van and made the 10 hour trip to Iowa City to finally get her daughter’s condition fixed. Arriving at the Ronald McDonald House, Lauren knew this was going to be a great part-time home, “It’s truly a beautiful place inside and out. Everyone works very hard to make the families comfortable and are always generous to help in any way that they can. This whole organization took burdens off our family financially and emotionally.”
Amelia especially loved her time at the House. As a first grader it is understandable to be overwhelmed with long appointments in a new city, but Amelia handled it like a champ. She had a whole kitchen to herself at the Ronald McDonald House with endless possibilities. Amelia’s immediate connection to the House and staff was Lauren’s favorite memory, “Amelia loved being around Sarah who is the Family Program Coordinator at RMH. They would spend time in the kitchen baking cookies and cupcakes. It was nice to see Amelia be herself like she was back home in Ontario.”
