The Ronald McDonald House is many things to many people; a place of comfort, a home with newfound friends who support one another through difficult times, a house where children and their families can heal together. Christy Chalgren, who was diagnosed with POTS (postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome) and Reactive Hypoglycemia, is from New York and stayed at RMH Cleveland for six months in 2017 and numerous times since with her father, Bill, and service dog, Sarabi.

After treatment recommendations included staying in Cleveland, Christy, her father and Sarabi moved to the area permanently. This fall, Christy took the leap on what she calls “the most exciting thing I have ever done in my life” and started college. At the age of 22, she’s proving that nothing can dampen her spirits as she drives to make the most of life’s opportunities after being put on hospice during the spring of 2017.

She recently shared with us her first college term paper “A House of Healing.” Her words below paint a vivid picture of her experience at the Ronald McDonald of Cleveland and the impact the House had on her during her journey battling chronic illness.

A House of Healing

Across the street from one of the top hospitals in the nation is a house. Not any ordinary house; a house that holds fifty-five families from no particular country, state, or origin. People who speak differently, eat differently, and even pray differently, yet they all heal in the same place, in the same home. The Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland is the ideal home-away-from-home for healing during the most tragic times of some peoples’ lives.

As you venture through the locked castle doors of Ronald’s house you will find a lobby scene like no other. Off to the right is a fish tank. A school of fish swimming to and fro in a world of their own, unaware of the warriors who pass by, only some stopping to tap on the glass. In the same nook as the fish is a cabinet full of treasures— games and puzzles. The puzzles range from simple to sophisticated, encompassing all ages of patients and loved ones who stay at the Ronald McDonald House. Some have missing pieces from years of use or were donated brand-new this morning; the games are played as intended by some and also with great creativity due to language differences by others. As you progress across the lobby the warmth of the electric fire may attract you, inviting you to sit down on the voluptuous couch. Yet before you get too comfortable pick a book off the multilingual bookshelf. Nothing is more distracting from life’s current events than curling up by the fire with a good book. Now feeling a tad too warm, approach the lobby desk. Don’t be intimidated by its immense presence — be assured the staff and volunteers sitting behind the desk are eager to help you. Are you feeling lost? A volunteer is more than willing to give you a tour. Need some toiletries or new bedding? Don’t hesitate to ask. The lobby of the Ronald McDonald House is just a glimpse into the House that will continue to take your breath away.

As you make your way past the row of volunteers at the lobby desk, you enter into the sun-room. The room is filled with squeals of laughter and delight as kids play and the sun shines in. There’s a group of girls playing dolls in the playhouse, babbling to each other in their native Arabic tongue. Two young Amish boys sitting at the large warn down craft table look up from their coloring books as a young woman and her service dog walk out the back door. This versatile space holds memories for hundreds of people. In the center of the room is an electric fireplace yet its barely used as the warmth of the smiles from bald-headed beauties warm up the playroom like the firecrackers they are. Encasing the fireplace are two cabinets full of craft supplies, coloring books, activity books, and any coloring implement imaginable. Around the corner you will find a puppet show, a production put on by an eight-year-old waiting on a five-organ transplant. The act of playing, being creative, and escaping into the beautiful innocence of imagination whisks one away from the current pains of being sick and into the bright relief that takes place in this sun-room.

Tired from laughter and play, and with the scents from the kitchen wafting through the halls you venture down the lengthy hallway to find the kitchen. Your mouth begins to water from the plethora of smells mixing in the air. This kitchen acts as Grand Central Station, feeding well over a hundred people a day when the House is filled to capacity. Off to the right, in the first cooking area, is a group of volunteers from a local company.

This evening’s dinner will be Italian cuisine: pasta, freshly rolled meatballs, red tomato sauce, basil pesto and cheesy garlic bread. As dinner is being prepared, there is still an assortment of snacks to enjoy. On the counter are baskets full of prepackaged chips, allergen-labeled pastries, and more bread than you could ever imagine. If waiting until dinner is not suitable, one can check out the community fridge to find beverages and chilled food available to the hungry and wondering. Find yourself a seat at one of the tables: square, rectangle, or even circle if you choose. Continue to take in the scene around you.

In the second cooking area you will find a weary father preparing a special allergy-safe meal for his sick daughter who has been trying to wean off her feeding tube for six months. He works tirelessly to make sure he cleaned the counter space and dishes before he begins the preparation and stays clear of the cabinets marked with her known allergies. Worry crosses his mind when he pulls out an ingredient from the family fridge to find that it has been opened, “I cannot risk an allergic reaction, better skip adding this!” he thinks to himself. In the far back corner of the kitchen at the third cooking station is a grandmother pouring and measuring the precise concoction of intravenous nutrition for her grandson’s central line. Her grandson, immune to the constant connection to a tube and backpack, enjoys his few minutes of freedom by stacking milk pints from the industrial size milk cooler.

Beyond the kitchen, as you exit out the back door you will step into a paradise like no other. Amidst a slew of picnic tables, you will notice that each of them has accessible seating for wheelchair users. Whether you are relaxing with your meal or getting some fresh air, this spacious yard has a variety of activities to offer.

Encircling the patio is a garden fertile with fresh herbs, fruits, and vegetables galore. Craving a snack? Taste a juicy red cherry tomato right off the vine. Across the bright green grass little girls are turning somersaults on their way to the wheelchair accessible tree-house. The laughter heard through the air washes away any tears that were shed over this morning’s infusions. Venture through the jungle of bamboo to the back yard to find a garden walkway of flowers. With sunflowers six feet tall, lilacs by the ankles, bees buzzing through the air with great delight this is truly a scene meant for a story book. There, Ronald McDonald is on a bench sitting among all the beauty. Across the parking lot more youngsters run around as the playground is a fun attraction. Before you make your descent from the top of the slide, you can wave to your friends who are in the sun-room playing. Just a walk around the yard will leave your mouth agape as you are enthralled by the beauty of it all.

During your most tragic time of life, when you must leave home to find help for healing there is no place to call home like the Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland. Through the grandiose lobby you may enter and just begin the breath-taking experience of visiting Ronald’s house. Find your heart melting when you see children of all ages and nationalities playing as friends in the bright sun-room. One of the littlest kids tugs on your sleeve and pulls you down the hall to the marvelous kitchen of three kitchens. Feeling a tad too warm you step out into the yard to discover a beautiful escape. When the burden of sickness is too much and the pain of missing home is unbearable you quickly find you are not alone, because in Ronald’s house there are fifty-five other families feeling the same exact way.

— Christy Chalgren

To see what Christy beautifully describes as “A House of Healing”, click the button below for a virtual tour of the Ronald McDonald House of Cleveland.