This family feels the love at Ronald McDonald House Southern New Jersey: "This is a miracle place"
Kailitza Carrasquillo knows the hallways of the Ronald McDonald House Southern New Jersey well. The teenager is from Puerto Rico, but says the house feels like home. Her mom, Pattyann Melendez, couldn't agree more.
"I say, I have my Ronald McDonald family, and I have my family at home," Melendez said with a smile.
The two have stayed here more than a dozen times since 2017. Kiley is in continued treatment at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia for PIK3CA FIL, also known as facial infiltrating lipomatosis.
"Only 80 people that have this condition," Melendez said. "Her condition is like a box of Pandora. Every time you go to the doctor, something else is new, so talking about it just makes me very emotional."
In between appointments across the river, Kiley and her mom can usually be found in the dining room back at the house.
"It's our spot," Carrasquillo said. "It's literally where we have our conversations, where that's where you meet everybody, and you have the conversations that make an impact."
If these walls could talk, they'd share the stories of game nights, birthday parties and so much more.
The two say the families they've met over the years are lifelong friends from all over the world.
"God makes miracles," Melendez said, "and this is a miracle place."
It's that support that gets these two through it all. Kiley has a series of major surgeries coming up, which means more stays are in their future.
"You feel loved in this house," Carrasquillo said. "You feel very loved."
Heart in the House highlights the essential support Ronald McDonald House chapters provide to families across the Greater Philadelphia Region, New Jersey, and Delaware. To make a donation, visit heartinthehouse.org.