Meet Andre Sau – childhood cancer survivor and alumni patient of Ronald McDonald House® Orange County (RMHOC) since 2004.
RMHOC not only offered me and my family a place to stay during some of the most difficult, challenging times of our lives, it offered more... it offered love, in its’ purest, truest form. The House provided everything from a stage for my adventures as a child, to giving me peace of mind in my teens.
It was on my 5th birthday when I was introduced to the House, having my first surgery at CHOC. I remember waking up and being greeted by my parents. Looking back, I can now see that they were visibly worried, and at that time, I didn’t understand. All I could recall was a conversation about a fantastical place (the House) - a ginormous mansion with countless rooms, a playground, and endless amounts of delicious food. When I finally got to stay at the House, all of my expectations were met and deliciously exceeded! The House became my second home - a sanctuary where I could fulfill my appetites for play and adventure, and where I eventually beat cancer.
Sadly, our time away from the House was short-lived. At 13, an autoimmune condition brought us back to the House and CHOC until age 22. This health battle was very different than the last. I was much more sensitive to my mother’s emotional state than in my early childhood. Now a single mother, she would have to shoulder the burden of watching her only child go through another series of health complications on her own.
With my mother being my mother, she always kept the mood light and jovial. Each day, she’d recount her stay at the House - describing different dinners every night, the new friends she made, and all the support she had from the wonderful staff. These things gave me peace of mind sleeping in the hospital every night, knowing my mother was well supported and cared for. While I experienced the wonders of the House in my early childhood, it was during my adolescence that I learned of the immense value the House had for parents of ill children. Whether a place one could stay without worry for rent to the wonderful community it brings together, the House became an entity that my mother could rely on, and in turn, allowed her to show up to her fullest for me in the hospital and made sure I healed well. I am so glad to say that I have finished the course of my treatment, something only made possible through the help and support of the House.
Now, I am both the happiest and healthiest I’ve ever been in my life. I’ve finished the bulk of my treatments, lost over 100 pounds, and can live life and find some normality in the midst of pursuing higher education. RMHOC made all this possible. As American philosopher and writer, Ralph Waldo Emerson, said, “A house is made with walls and beams; a home is made with walls and dreams.” RMHOC became a place where the dreams and prayers of a mother for a healthy child could be both envisioned and experienced, and where the fantastical dreams and aspirations of a sick child could grow, thrive and come true. Now, the dreams of both that mother and child are being lived - only made possible with the help of the RMHOC community! Thank you!
