08 Feb Ronald McDonald House Helps ‘Miracle Boy’ Heal

“Easton’s doctor calls him ‘MB’, which is short for Miracle Boy,” says Nichole Fielder, mom to Easton.

Easton, 8, from Monticello, Georgia, suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury when he crashed his youth-size side-by-side vehicle into his family’s mailbox on October 2. “He had two skull fractures and an axonal shearing injury throughout his brain,” Nichole says.

“We know if Easton were not in the program he is in, he wouldn’t be this far in his recovery, and, that would not be possible without Atlanta RMHC.” Nichole says, adding the commute from Monticello to Atlanta is too long for daily therapy trips. “Paying to stay somewhere for this long in Atlanta would be expensive. It has been a huge blessing to our family to stay here.

“There were so many unknowns with his condition and recovery,” Nichole says of his treatment at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. “Easton was on life support for almost a month. At one point, we were told he may never wake up.”

The Fielders are staying at our Ronald McDonald House near Scottish Rite while Easton receives 13 weeks of care at the Day Rehab program at Scottish Rite. When Easton started the program, he was wheelchair bound and could not talk. As of February 1, he is using a walker and talking again.

“He has overcome everything they said he probably wouldn’t,” Nichole says. “We know he has a long way to go in his recovery, but he has already come so far.”

Easton loves seeing Betty Lou and playing on the pinball machine. His family enjoys meeting other families and appreciates our friendly staff and volunteers and the shuttles to CHOA. “They are convenient when you have a wheelchair to load up,” Nichole says.

“There is so much to do here to keep the kids busy,” Nichole says. “If I were telling a friend about our stay at the House, I would emphasize how nice it is, and how much I highly recommend it.”

Before Easton’s accident, he enjoyed playing baseball, taking horse riding lessons, swimming, playing with his sister and friends, hunting and fishing.

“His biggest hobby is definitely baseball though,” Nichole says. Recently, Easton sat in a chair and swung a bat for the first time since his accident. “We are hoping when he finishes the program, he will be as independent as an 8-year-old boy can be,” Nichole says.