The Heart Chain

Little Samiya’s letter

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:51:37 +0000

My daughter’s name is Samiya Anju Bahall. Our family lives in Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean, she is our first and only baby and she’s a mere 17months old. She was born in November 2010, a happy and healthy baby girl. She has never been ill and has had appropriate milestones for her age till 10 months. After 10 months we started noticing that she was not speaking as much as before. She was initially saying words like, “mama, dada,up, yum yum” and she gradually stopped. She was no longer responding to being called and she would not react to loud noises or sounds as she initially would. This got us suspicious and we informed our pediatrician. He suggested a hearing test and she had one which was inconclusive in our island. Her pediatrician recommended further formal testing and we came to Miami for such.

We came to Miami at the beginning of February and devastatingly our daughter was diagnosed with bilateral profound deafness. This meant she could not hear at all. The doctors confirmed she was not born deaf but somehow progressively lost her hearing. As a result of the only options was for her to undergo Cochlear Implantation. This surgery allows an artificial “bionic” cochlear to replace her defective ones and thus restore hearing and allow for speech. This surgery was extremely costly and since we are non nationals of the United States and had no insurance we had to pay the full cost. We luckily and thankfully through the help of our families at home and some noon governmental organizations were able to afford the surgery. Our daughter successfully underwent bilateral cochlear implants on the 24th February.

We returned home 1 week after the surgery but had to return to Miami for activation and programming of her devices one month after. Luckily a social worker mentioned to us about the Ronald McDonald House and we decided to contact the institution. The reception at Ronald McDonald House Charity was one we will never forget. The person over the telephone was friendly and very helpful and arranged for our stay on our return to Miami with no questions asked. On arrival at the House we were met by Silvana who was so soft spoken and warm and friendly. She immediately checked us in after our long flight and took us to our room. We then spent 5 weeks at the Ronald McDonald House in Fort Lauderdale.

That is one experience we will never forget. The staff is like family as they are always there with a smile and a helping hand. Families at the House were also so friendly and welcoming. They all showed us around and made our stay comfortable and memorable. We will never forget the Easter hunts and the numerous lunches and dinners that so many families and organizations held at the Ronald McDonald House in order to make the families stay so much easier.

Words cannot fully or truly even begin to express how extremely grateful my family and I are to the RMHC. Thanks also to the families, schools and organizations that give not only financially but also of their valuable time to come in to the House and meet and experience the families and their stories.

We are but only one of the numerous families that the Ronald McDonald House has helped and will continue to help. We would like to say Thank you from the bottom of our hearts and lots of love and keep up the GREAT work!!!!!

Yours sincerely,

Samiya

Daniel and his family are a link in the HEART CHAIN

admin — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:03:25 +0000

Tuesday, May 8, 2012 – by: Everything Murphy…

After Daniel left us for Heaven, our family (and friends) began actively collecting pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald House Charities. While our son was in the hospital, we stayed at the Miami facility for twenty nights. And our total bill was less than $300. It was such a blessing.

Last year—about this same time—I drove Madi and a few of her preschool friends down to the Ronald McDonald House in FTL to deliver our second annual collection of pop tabs. Our stash had grown from the year before. In fact, we had gobs of them. It was such a successful and meaningful trip for the girls that Peggie (the preschool director) offered to distribute a flyer to all of the preschool parents and church parishioners at the beginning of the new school year about our fundraising efforts.

Shortly thereafter, I was contacted by a mother named Pamela, who was feeling called upon by God to provide for the same cause. Through our email correspondence, it was revealed that her four year old son (who attended the same preschool as Madi) had Tetralogy of Fallot as a baby, just like Daniel. Not only was he operated on in the same hospital as our son, but also by the hands of the very same surgeon. Pamela’s family had stayed in the same Ronald McDonald House as we had. The two of us had goose bumps as we read each other’s emails, and uncovered so many parallels in our lives. The Holy Spirit had indeed put us together. Pamela distributed a beautiful letter to her daughter’s school in a neighboring town to spread word of our shared pop tab initiative.

And over the course of the year, we continued to collect tabs. Jimmy picked up several large loads of pop tabs from the school, and we stored them in our garage. I mean lots of them—in Ziploc bags, in plastic jugs, water bottles and in milk crates—all donated by the parishioners and preschool families.

When it was time to plan our delivery to the Ronald McDonald House last month, my heart was tugging at me. It bothered me that only a few children (ten to fifteen max) would be able to partake in a tour of the house and the “passing of the pop tabs” when so many people had been involved in the collection process. We clearly needed a different approach. So I decided to email Ronald McDonald himself and share our story with him. We quickly received a call from his kind assistant, Lorraine, and the ball began rolling.

The plan was set to have Ronald show up on May 5^th at the preschool to entertain as many kids as we could possibly gather. It was heartwarming to think that so many people would be included in the fun, especially since so many people had worked throughout the year to collect tabs in Daniel’s memory. This was certainly not one family’s project—it was widespread, and it was a beautiful collaborative effort.

Madi and I spent the last couple of weekends consolidating all of the tabs into several extra-large, extra-sturdy lawn bags. We ended up with approximately 134 pounds of tabs. That equals almost 170,000 of them—enough to provide a family with five nights at a Ronald McDonald House!

When we arrived at the school Saturday morning, we were amazed to find a large cardboard box filled with many more tabs and yet another very large plastic bag with an attached note that read:

“Dear Murphy Family,

From the hearts and hands of the students, families, faculty, and staff at A.D. Henderson and FAU High, we would like to present you with this year’s collective effort in support of Ronald McDonald House Charities. Thank you for inspiring good deeds in others. May our pond continue to ripple.”

The note was from Pamela, the lovely mother whom I mentioned earlier. You can only imagine how that generous act of charity brought tears to our eyes. And then, Peggie handed me a wrapped package from “one mama to another.” It was also from Pamela. I opened the present to find the coolest necklace and earrings that were made from pop tabs! It was such a special and meaningful gift, and it was quite a touching way to kick off our celebration.

As the time for Ronald’s appearance grew closer, we were joined by many families—some of them friends, some of them preschool children and parents, some of them church parishioners. It was a wonderful turnout. And Ronald was a wonderful entertainer. He told jokes and did magic tricks. All the kids—and the adults—truly enjoyed his performance. At the end, we presented Ronald with our pop tab collection, which he graciously accepted on behalf of the Ronald McDonald House Charities.

It was a great day. Much more awareness was created about the pop tab program, and we feel certain that our sweet angel was smiling down upon us. Our life’s work is to keep Daniel alive by sharing his spirit. Thanks little buddy.

To learn more about Daniel and see how you can help visit with an open heart

Mother’s Day

admin — Fri, 11 May 2012 14:55:13 +0000

Mother’s Day is a day to celebrate and honor the important women in your life. At the Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida, we are constantly reminded of the bond between mother and child. Each day, the moms staying at RMH are consumed by the care of their sick or injured child. Their strength and courage is an inspiration for all mothers.

To honor your mother or special woman in your life, please consider making a donation to the Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida so that families like Briana’s will have a place to stay when they need it most.

Make a donation in honor of any special women in your life, click here to learn more
www.heartchain.kintera.org

Marlins Ayudan Visits Ronald McDonald House

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 16:35:52 +0000

Marlins Ayudan team “Pierce’s Heroes” spent the afternoon volunteering at Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida. The group arrived at 11am for a tour of Ronald McDonald House. Following the tour, the group served lunch, catered by Don Camaron, to the residents and families staying at the 27 bedroom facility. Multiple trays of Arroz con Pollo, Garden Salad, and Platanos Maduros were on the menu for all the residents to feast on.

“Pierec’s Heroes” spent their time dining, and mixing and mingling with all the families that were able to attend. Some of the team members helped out parents with feeding and looking after the kids, allowing parents, what I’m sure was, a much-needed break. The group enjoyed the rest of their afternoon by playing a variety of board/card games including Uno and Connect Four. Others spent their time reading to the children or working on some of the coloring books the children brought along with them.

All in all, “Pierce’s Heroes” provided a day for the families to escape from the stressors they’ve encountered over the past days, weeks, months, even years for some. They were able to share stories and some laughs with some new friends. These few moments of peace and relaxation are a blessing for the families of Ronald McDonald House and “Pierce’s Heroes” were the group privileged enough to provide them that opportunity.

Check out below for some photos from the event!

Happy Mother’s Day

admin — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:41:50 +0000

Make a donation in honor of any special women in your life, click here to learn more
www.heartchain.kintera.org

Frank C. MArtin Intl K-8 Center

admin — Thu, 03 May 2012 19:02:18 +0000

Thank you so much for being a link in the HEART CHAIN.

Faculty and students from Frank C. Martin International K-8 Center Chapter presented RMHC with a donation of $1,500 from the proceeds raised on their talent show.

To learn more about Frank C. Martin International K-8 Center visit fcmartin.dadeschools.net

27th Annual Ladies Fish-Off

admin — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:22:45 +0000

The Committee members of Ladies Fish-Off are all links in the HEART CHAIN

The Ladies Annual Fish-Off was established 27 years ago and has flourished ever since. This year’s tournament will be held May 31st – June 3rd of 2012. Ladies Fish-Off is one of the largest fishing tournaments in South Florida both by number of boats and anglers and continues to grow in number every year.

The ladies who fish the tournament have put some trophy fish on the dock in recent tournaments including a 54 pound kingfish, a 57.7 pound Dolphin and a 77.2 pound Wahoo. The top ten boats and top three lady anglers receive cash and prizes along with the top three largest fish in the five non-billfish categories: cobia, dolphin, kingfish, blackfin tuna and wahoo. Top family, top junior, top captain and top pee-wee prizes will also be awarded. Last year we were able to donate $22,453 to our charities. Our goal for 2012 is to be able to raise $40,000 for our beneficiaries. As the name implies, only lady anglers may enter, but men can join the fun as captain and crew.

The Ladies Annual Fish-Off is not only a chance to fish with your fellow women it is also an opportunity to raise money for some exceptional organizations. Over the past twenty-six years the event has raised more than $400,000.00 for our charities. This year money raised during the event will benefit The Ronald McDonald House Charities of South Florida, The Billfish Foundation and Nova Southeastern University Student Scholorship Fund.

For more information visit www.ladiesfishoff.com

Oakland Park Kiwanis Club

admin — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 23:26:45 +0000

Members of the Oakland Park Kiwanis Club. Helped in the beautification and landscaping at the Ronald McDonald House of Fort Lauderdale. Thak you so much for being a link in the HEART CHAIN.

Visit them online at www.oaklandparkkiwanis.com

FAU Owls are a link too…

admin — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:49:47 +0000

Florida Atlantic University Football Team, the Owls is a link in the Heart Chain… and you can be one too!

Doral Journal

admin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 04:11:49 +0000

We want to thank the magazine Doral Journal for featuring The Ronald McDonald House Charities® of South Florida in an article in its latest issue. Click here to read the entire article on page 30.