03 Jun Meet the Storie Family

In Loving Memory of Madison RaeAnn Storie
September 14, 2012 – June 24, 2013

“After four and a half months of waiting, our day had come and Madison had heart transplantation surgery June 23rd, 2013. However, it was declared unsuccessful and she was placed on life support. After discussing the option of another heart transplant, her Daddy and I decided that Madison had “fought the good fight” and Jesus was calling her home. We gave her back to Him June 24th, 2013.”
–Amanda Storie

Finding Strength in Family this Father’s Day

Matt Storie will celebrate his first Father’s Day as a dad at the Ronald McDonald House this year. Matt, a member of the United States Air Force, and his wife, Amanda, welcomed their first child, Madison RaeAnn, on September 14, 2012. Born healthy and with no signs of complication, Madison was released to go home from the hospital shortly after.

The new parents returned to their home in Abilene, Texas with their bouncing baby girl, excited and anxious to take on parenthood.  However, their joy was quickly replaced with panic when Madison presented strange symptoms at three-days-old, and was rushed to the emergency room.

She suffered from Atrial Septal Defects (ASDs) and Ventricular Septal Defects (VSDs), holes in the upper and lower chambers of her heart.  These defects were causing Madison’s heart and lungs to work overtime, and her heart muscle couldn’t keep up.  After two heart surgeries and one colon surgery, Madison was diagnosed with Cardiomyopathy – poor function of the heart muscle.

After four months of receiving treatment at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth, Madison’s doctors referred her to specialists at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Egleston. In February, the Stories traveled over 1,000 miles to Atlanta where Madison underwent heart surgery for the third time, but she would still need a new heart.

She is now listed and currently waiting for a heart transplant. Amanda and Matt have made the Ronald McDonald Houses in Fort Worth and Atlanta their home for 9 months now. Each day, they walk to the hospital to be with Madison. At the end of the day, they return to the House for a delicious meal prepared by volunteers and take time to relax and recuperate.

Matt is grateful for the Ronald McDonald House and how it keeps his family together while Madison receives care. “I definitely draw strength from Madison. It is an honor to be her dad,” Matt says. “Sometimes when I think I’m having a bad day, I look at Madison and realize that nothing I am going through compares to what she has been through in just nine months of her life.”