Lani Jones

Ronald McDonald House Makes Medical Journey Possible for Jones Family

“I thank God for the Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities,” says Melissa Jones, mom to Lani, 6.

Lani, from Milledgeville, Georgia, will turn 7 this month and loves to make others smile and play with her Paw Patrol Toy collection. In February, she was admitted to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta for a routine procedure for her Pfeiffer Syndrome.

When Lani’s plastic surgeon began her surgery, he noticed a few abnormalities that were not reflected on Lani’s previous scans. After consulting with a neurosurgeon, Lani received an External Ventricular Drain (EVD) to help with cerebrospinal fluid drainage, intracranial pressure relief and an unexpected encephalocele.

As her hospital stay advanced, Lani’s condition became more critical. What was supposed to be a 5-7 day stay turned into 69 days, followed by 5 weeks of rehab. Lani endured cardiac arrest, many surgeries, and pneumonia among other conditions. She now has a permanent shunt and scar from her tracheostomy.

Lani’s family is staying with us at our House near Scottish Rite while she recovers and learns to walk and talk again. They also stayed with us for several weeks in 2018 after Lani developed chemical aspiration from an outpatient surgery.

Melissa and her family appreciate how safe and secure our House is. Lani loves to push the elevator buttons and use her guest card to “swipe” to enter her room.

“There is no way this journey could be possible without Atlanta RMHC,” Melissa says.

Learn more about ways to help Atlanta RMHC.