When Care and Comfort Meet, Lives Are Changed

Parents staying at Ronald McDonald House often say that nothing brings comfort, quite like knowing they are only steps away from their child’s medical care. That closeness offers a tremendous sense of peace. Just ask Christina, who was able to hold her daughter Armani during a particularly difficult night in the hospital simply because she was right there.

At just 19 weeks pregnant, Christina and her husband, Jared, learned that their daughter had Ebstein’s Anomaly, a rare congenital heart defect. Their research led them to the Da Silva Center for Ebstein’s Anomaly at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Though it was two hours from home, it offered something invaluable, the expertise of Dr. José Pedro da Silva, the center’s founder and surgical director. Dr. da Silva developed the surgical cone procedure now used worldwide to treat the condition. He and his wife, Luciana de Fonseca da Silva, MD, perform more of these procedures than any other surgery team in the world.

Having this incredible care for their daughter provided great comfort to Christina and Jared; having it located next to the Ronald McDonald House brought them a whole other sense of ease. They already understood the comfort the House could provide—they had stayed there when their now–11-year-old son, Zaiden, was born with Gastroschisis.

“I thought that if we needed to be away from home, at least we would have the Ronald McDonald House to help us on this journey,” said Christina.

Two days before Armani’s arrival in August 2024, Christina and Jared settled into the Ronald McDonald House. For one hundred days, the House was their home while Armani recovered from open heart surgery.

“I love this place. You have everything you need here,” Christina said.

That includes the joy of having their older children—Quintin, 15, Zaiden; Giavanna, 7; and Kingston, 3; visit. Their visits with their sister are special to the sibling group.

“It means so much when they can come here,” Christina shared.

One year after Armani’s first surgery, she returned to the hospital for her cone procedure. She is now recovering in the Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. Her family is once again at her bedside, staying at Ronald McDonald House.

“Having the Ronald McDonald House right next to Armani’s care has been a Godsend for all of us,” said Christina.