Meet the Aguilera family. After a premature birth and additional health complications, baby Ezekiel required additional care and was transferred twenty-five miles to Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) only eleven days after he and his twin brother, Ezra, were born.
Immediately, parents Danielle and Salvador (Sal) worried about how they would manage being so far from home. How would they be able to stay by Ezekiel’s side and continue caring for their other children? That’s when the family’s social worker recommended Ronald McDonald House Orange County® and everything became easier.
RMHOC helped relieve their stress. From the overflowing generosity pouring from the hearts of volunteers, families, and donors, the Aguileras’ experience is an example of what the true power of love can accomplish. “The amount of support we’ve been handed here is tremendous,” Sal recounted. “[The] volunteers that come in and cook things—cook breakfast, do the baked goods […] don’t feel like they’re here working. They’re more like on a mission.”
Coming to RMHOC, mere steps away from where Ezekiel was seeking medical care, was a game changer for the Aguileras. It gave them a roof over their heads, warm meals at the table, and friends who became like family. It was a home to return to; a place of comfort to regroup, de-stress, and play.
“As a stay-at-home mom, I do feel at home [at RMHOC]. And my daughter has already taken the volunteers by storm and loves everything,” Danielle affirmed. “This has become her house.”
Through it all, the Aguileras were met with smiles and warmth from a community that understood them. At Ronald McDonald House Orange County, they could rest easy knowing that their family was together.
