CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As the COVID-19 pandemic raged on, it certainly made the work of local non-profits even more difficult, but they did not stop. One of those is the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Corpus Christi.
For those who may be unaware, RMHC of CC helps to provide a home away from home for families of children who must travel to receive medical treatment in Corpus Christi. They take care of things like food, a comfortable place to rest, internet to continue with remote learning, and so much more.
10-year-old Ayla Almendarez was diagnosed with acute leukemia in June of this year. Since then, her life has changed quickly. However, thanks to the house, really the only things she and her family need to focus on are getting her better and just getting to be a kid.
Some fun facts about Ayla: she's a Halloween baby, she's in the 3rd grade, she has 2 older brothers, loves to wear her cowgirl boots (her anthem is "These Boots are Made for Walkin'), watching Raven's Home with her mom, playing outside and she wants to be a coder when she grows up.
Ayla currently lives at the house with her mother, Krystal Hirsch. Their family lives in Victoria. They share while it's been hard being away from them, that they've also found a sense of family, warmth and unwavering support at the Ronald McDonald House.
"I've talked to the other moms, we all sit down in the kitchen and talk about what’s going on with each other’s kids, ask how everyone’s doing and it’s just great. You don't have to worry about anything other than what your kid’s going through and how to get them better," Hirsch said.
"You kind of forget that you're here, in a place like this, and that your kid is sick. We are here because our kids are sick, and it's not the best thing, but it's a good feeling to know there are other people here, going through the same thing as you."
"I don't like being sick at all," said Ayla. "I think I get that from my popo, because my popo was the kind of man that didn't like being sick or people seeing him weak. To him, that was people trying to make him feel better, or something because to him, he's the one that was supposed to do that for us."
Ayla's family learned she was sick after going to a normal check-up with her doctor. Her mother shares it was a blessing in disguise.
"It was to me a miracle how we found out. We went in for a simple, yearly check-up, and they were running blood tests. We took the blood test on a Wednesday, by Thursday afternoon her doctor was calling us saying they saw something they didn't like in the blood. So we got here, it came out positive that she had acute leukemia," said Hirsch. "Her strength kinda goes here and there, but she’s always happy. She rarely ever has a sad day."
Ayla received that diagnosis in June. A couple of months later, her hair began to fall out. She recently began a new chemo treatment.
Although Ayla was gifted a beautiful wig from the non-profit, Children with Hair Loss, she shares she feels most confident without it.
"I mostly wear it when I don't feel like a normal girl, but that rarely ever happens because my whole family said if I end up going completely bald, my cousin and uncle said, they will shave their heads for me."
"I know every parent knows their kids are amazing, but to me she has surprised me with the confidence she has," Hirsch said proudly. "This is the way she goes out. She does not - she appreciates the wig they have given her, but she’s comfortable like this, this is who she is."
For RMHC of CC CEO, Michelle Horine, getting to see Ayla and her mother laughing and playing on the playground is just another powerful reminder of the important work the group does and must continue to do.
"We're here so that she can swing on that swing, and not have a worry in he world and see how fast she can go," Horine said. "To hear laughter in this backyard and in the house really warms my heart."
The moment you walk into the building, there's an automatic, undeniable sense of warmth, friendliness and calm. Although RMHC of CC has worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic to continue helping families, Horine shares it has been very challenging.
Some of the changes currently in place include:
- No longer allowing visitors, including Share-A-Meal providers, into the Ronald McDonald House until further notice. Instead, they are asking the community to consider catering meals to be delivered from a restaurant. To schedule a meal drop-off, you can call 361-854-4073.
- All volunteer shifts at the Ronald McDonald House and the Happy Wheels Hospitality Cart have been suspended.
- Donated items should be dropped off at the designated drop-off location outside the front of the building. All clothing donations can still be made at the yellow donation boxes throughout the Coastal Bend.
"We are keeping occupancy a little lower than what we would like. We would like to be able to serve a full house of families, but the reality is - our main priority is to make sure the families we do serve, that we’re limiting exposure to them," said Horine who shared budgeting for the next year has also proven to be tricky.
"We were blessed to be able to get through 2020 without it having any bad or negative effects on our services to our families, but we’re a little worried about 2021. Especially the first quarter."
That's where community support comes in, and they need it now, more than ever.
"There's lots of ways to support the house, but every time you go to a McDonald’s store you can ask to round up to RMHC, even if they don't ask you. It’s a 365-day-a-year campaign and so we’d love to do it all the way through December, and all of those funds stay here locally and support our Ronald McDonald House."
To learn how you can get involved with RMHC of CC, click here.
To donate to RMHC of CC, click here.
There is one staffer, however, whose job hasn't changed very much at all over the course of the pandemic, and if you've ever visited the house in the past, you've likely met him, or maybe even played catch with him.
"Duke is our Chief Cheer Officer, and what we have seen especially during the pandemic is that he’s really the only employee on our team that can interact and touch our kids. We’re so used to being able to play and hug and get close to them and play games with them, but obviously we want to protect them," Horine said.
"They look forward to coming down everyday and seeing him at the front desk and getting to come out and play with him. He loves to play with the bean bags and his role is to really make it feel like home."
"Even if you don't use it [the house] it’s good to know about it," said Hirsch. "To know you’re helping somebody. It might be a family like us, or just helping out with the donations, the food, the clothes they have here for us, and just being a community here. It’s great."
To learn about all the COVID-19 protocols in place at the Ronald McDonald House, click here.