Give A Hand

Meet Francisco Mendoza - an eleven year old boy living with a brain tumor. He was diagnosed when he was only three years old. He went through radiation & chemotherapy. Francisco seemed to be recovering and fighting the tumor, only to have it return more devastating than before. Already having had surgery he is not able to have another. The Doctor gave him six months to live....that was over a year ago. Francisco has been fighting to live ever since.

A group of us Mom bloggers were given a tour of the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House. While we were there we baked cookies, helped the kids decorate them and met some amazing families. Francisco was so happy to be there, no worries, full of joy, smiles, and innocence. I could not help shed a tear. What an amazing boy! I can not even begin to imagine what his mother Maria is living. She and Francisco have been living at the house on and off for the past three years. I asked Maria what the best thing about the RMH is; she stated how wonderful and open the staff is, and being not even a block away from the hospital. What an amazing family!

For the past 35 years the Ronald McDonald House has provided a "home away from home" for families with sick children, giving them a place to find comfort and support during difficult times. Every year the RMHC and it's local Chapters support more than 4 million children and families around the globe. The RMH Los Angeles can house up to 75 families any given night. They are provided their own room which can accommodate up to five family members. Each floor has it's own laundry facilities, with a cafe right next to the laundry room where families can talk, connect and find support from other families going through difficult times as well. There is a community kitchen where although there are many different languages that can be found throughout the RMH, food is the one common commodity that seems to always break the language barrier.
From the RMH we joined Billy Bush (from Access Hollywood) and Dayanara Torres (Actress) at a local McDonald's to help kick off McHappy Day - the companies signature fundraising event for children and families in need. Billy Bush has been involved with the Charity for close to four years now. I had a chance to talk with him and will post some video soon - I even made Billy cry talking about one family who he was so touched by that he kept in touch with them over the years.

Between November 10Th through the 20Th you can help Ronald McDonald Charities by purchasing a hand at your nearest participating McDonald's for just $1. McDonald's USA will also donate $1 for each of the first 35,000 hands shared online. I challenge you to help them reach their goal - so start sharing hands today!

To learn more about McHappy Day, visit http://www.mcdonalds.com/mchappyday

To see some pictures from our visit click here

*Disclosure: I was not compensated for this post in any way. The feature as well as the pictures cannot be reproduced or copied without written permission. Thank you McDonald's for giving us the opportunity to learn more about the Charity and see it's work first hand.