15 Jul “We Couldn’t Have Had a Better Place to Stay”
“She’s the love of our lives,” said Cindy Malone about her six year old daughter Carley. “We did everything you can think to make sure she was healthy.”
But on January 18, Carley had an unexplained seizure. Cindy, a teacher, consulted with her neighbor, a nurse practitioner, who told the family about the symptoms of a seizure. Later, the family learned that most doctors do not see the first seizure as a need for serious concern. However two weeks later, Carley had another seizure. Soon after, the Salisbury, Maryland family traveled two hours to the Neurology Department at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children for an electrocardiogram (EKG) and an electroencephalography (EEG).
“My daughter was scared to death. We were all scared to death,” recalls Cindy. The Malone family was then referred by a friend to the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware, not knowing what it was. “We were all so stressed and didn’t know what to expect, but they took us in, gave us a tour and took us to the Treasure Chest and you could see Carley relax.”
For one of Carley’s tests, she had to be up until midnight and wake up at 5:00 am. “There was no way we could stay in a hotel room,” Cindy said, “and there was a ton do to [at the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware]. I can’t say enough how it made us feel so good.” Cindy says that Carley loves the Treasure Chest and video games in the basement, so much that the Malone family purchased their own Wii after their stay!
On her favorite part about the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware, Cindy said, “everyone is so nice! You couldn’t have nicer volunteers. It’s a child friendly place and it’s right by the hospital. We couldn’t have had a better place [to stay].”
Currently, the Malone family is back at home in Maryland awaiting a diagnosis. “We’ll deal with whatever we have to deal with,” says Cindy. However, the Malone family expressed their gratitude for their time spent at the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware.
“It’s a blessing to have that place there. I look around and think, we are lucky… we’re not forgetting the Ronald McDonald House of Delaware.”