30 Aug Dakota Clark: No Child Should Face Cancer Alone

You never think it’s going to be your child.

Last year my daughter Willow began experiencing high fevers and a lack of appetite. Doctors thought she had a bacterial infection and treated her with antibiotics. Two months later, Willow was experiencing the same symptoms. On January 31, 2018, an X-ray confirmed my worst fear. Willow’s enlarged spleen indicated she had cancer.

With the best pediatric care over three hours from our home, I didn’t know how I was going to take care of my family while making sure Willow received the life-saving treatments she needed. That’s where Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities came in.

Willow is only 1 year old but has endured five rounds of chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant and surgeries to remove the cancerous tumor and her left kidney.

I can’t think of anything more important than being by my daughter’s side. This wouldn’t be possible without Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities and the people, like you, who support it.

We have stayed at both Houses in Atlanta and felt welcomed and safe. And, when Willow was receiving in-patient care at Scottish Rite, I was able to retreat to the new Ronald McDonald Family Room to recharge only steps away from her hospital bed.

I don’t know what I would have done without Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Dakota Clark, Willow’s mom