Beyond Chemo: Families Fighting Childhood Cancer Need a “Home-Away-From-Home”

In just one day, Lindsay and her family's entire world had changed. It started one morning when Lindsay saw that her 11-month-old daughter, Brooklyn, had a swollen belly. By the next day, Brooklyn was admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with stage IV, high-risk neuroblastoma.

After months of failed treatment, Lindsay and her daughter packed their bags and left California for advanced pediatric cancer treatment that is only available in New York City. For many families who travel to New York from all over the world, this advanced treatment is their last hope to save their child's life.

But the costs of staying in New York City during treatment add up fast. Paying for travel, lodging, meals, and basic necessities on top of expensive treatment that can last for weeks or months is simply out of reach for most families. When there was no hope left for Brooklyn, and thousands of children suffering just like her, Ronald McDonald House® New York made the impossible, possible.

For the past 40 years, Ronald McDonald House New York has opened its doors to 59,000 families from all over the world, providing a warm, supportive environment for families fighting pediatric cancer in close proximity to eight major hospital systems. 

For families who must travel for their child's cancer treatment, Ronald McDonald House New York offers a "home-away-from-home" close to the hospital, as well as all the support, resources and care families and children need during the most difficult days they'll ever face

By removing some of the financial barriers that prevent families from pursuing this life-saving treatment unique to New York City, the House has become a critical component of care. Without the House, Brooklyn, and so many kids just like her, would not be able to get the treatment they need to survive.

You can give a family battling pediatric cancer the ability to pursue life-saving treatment by supporting Ronald McDonald House New York today.