Impact Stories
Your Gifts At Work
We are thankful for those who have made an estate gift to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana. Learn more about how their gifts have made an impact.
Angel Ervin’s Family
Angel was diagnosed with Sickle Cell Disease at birth. But it wasn’t until she was in high school when symptoms from her condition arose.
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Joile Sullivan’s Family
By now, we all know the incredible challenges of living in a COVID-19 world: navigating remote school, working, keeping your family safe and healthy. Now imagine all of that while your child is in the hospital far from home. The Sullivan family knows exactly how it feels. But thanks to the Ronald McDonald House near Lurie Children’s, the Sullivans were able to stay by their daughter’s side during surgery to repair her heart’s mitral valve.
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Everly Backe’s Family
A few weeks before Everly Backe entered the world, her parents learned she would be born with a congenital heart defect. Within three days of her birth, Everly had open-heart surgery. It was the first of three she’d undergo before her first birthday. Through multiple surgeries, Everly’s parents, Lauren and Matt, and older brother, Jack, relied on Ronald McDonald House to keep them close. “When Everly is in the hospital and looking for me, I don’t want to be two hours away. I want to be two minutes away,” shared Lauren.
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John Francis Clark’s Family
When five-year-old John Francis was airlifted from Children’s Mercy Hospital in Missouri to Lurie Children’s on May 1, his parents, Hemma and John, had no idea how long they would be away from home and their other two children. All they knew was that their son needed a new heart. While Hemma and John waited for news, they knew it was important to keep their family close, so they brought Antonia and Emil, John Francis’ older siblings, and Hemma’s mom to stay with them at the Ronald McDonald House near Lurie Children’s.
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