Our Mission
Ronald McDonald House Charities Midwest | MN, WI, IA operates the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester, MN and provides caring support to families seeking medical care for their children. The Ronald McDonald House is a pediatric hospitality house serving families who are traveling from across the globe to access vital medical care for their child at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic. Families who find themselves at the Ronald McDonald House have often exhausted every medical resource near their home, creating the added burden of traveling away from their personal support network while their child fights for their life. The Ronald McDonald House helps relieve financial burdens and ensures access to basic needs while providing family centered programming that supports the emotional health of families of children ages 0 to 18 with a complicated medical diagnosis.
More than a place to sleep, shower or eat the Ronald McDonald House strives to ensure families can put 100% of their energy into focusing on the health of their ill child. Alleviating the financial stressors triggered by childhood illness makes it more feasible for families to travel away from home to receive the medical care their child requires. In addition, by providing family-centered activities, Ronald McDonald House works diligently to create environments that foster healthy relationships between guest families, volunteers, and staff. The Ronald McDonald House provides a safe and loving environment where kids can be kids and parents can lean on one another for support. Families find hope, strength, and love at the Ronald McDonald House.
F/K/A Ronald McDonald House of Rochester, MN
How Your Donations Help
- $105 provides 1 night of lodging for a family traveling for medical care in Rochester, MN
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Our Impact
Javohn and his dad, Thomas, did not expect such a long and difficult journey. But after two tumors and one year of radiation and chemotherapy…it is almost time for Javohn to rejoin his five siblings in Belize. When doctors in Belize – a Central American country with less than 500,000 people – discovered a tumor on Javohn’s brain, they said, “Take him to the United States…if you want him to live.” His first surgery was in Denver and it was successful, but he would need a second surgery at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. After the surgery, doctors recommended radiation treatment for three months. All was well. One year later, during a routine checkup at Mayo Clinic, doctors discovered the brain tumor was gone…but he developed a tumor on his skull. Javohn needed eight months of chemotherapy. The treatment plan was hard on his body, particularly his kidneys. But it is almost time to go home. When they first arrived in Rochester, they stayed at a hotel because their situation was short-term; when they learned about the additional treatment, they were referred to the Ronald McDonald House of Rochester. “I was shocked,” said Thomas. “I did not expect this hospitality. It is truly a home away from home. It is amazing.” Thomas mentioned the volunteers who made them feel welcome, despite it being a different country and culture. And how he can only say thanks to the donors who have provided so much for him and his family. “The House has everything we need,” Thomas said. “It is perfect.” “It keeps my mind off of the hard things that I am going through,” said Javohn. Javohn’s mom, Doret, and Thomas have taken turns staying at the House and caring for their other children in Belize. One of his brothers, Thomas Jr., has visited as well. But Javohn has not seen his other four siblings, including his twin sister, in nearly one year. Javohn will need medical evaluations every three months for the next two years. Each visit should be short in duration. Doctors are currently working on a plan for Javohn to be seen closer to home, but as Thomas said, “The Ronald McDonald House is our home.” “The House kept Javohn alive,” Thomas said.