As a family of five from Hawaii, the Attas traveled to CHOC to help their middle child, Kasen, have a series of five brain surgeries from April until June – a period when the House was undergoing expansion and partner hotels supported family stays.
“For the first three surgeries, we were in California for about a month. When we found out we needed to be back in California for the next 2 surgeries, we spoke with the neurology social worker, and she put in a request on our behalf with RMHOC.
It was such a relief to not have to worry about how we were going to afford housing for such an extended period of time. This alleviated a lot of stress for us and allowed us to focus more on Kasen during his surgeries and recovery. Being close to the hospital was also helpful for us and made it easy for us to switch off. Having breakfast provided by the hotel and scheduled dinners also helped reduce our overall cost of food.
Our kids really had fun making crafts that one of the family's provided a couple of times. We brought the crafts home and our youngest still plays with it. All of the staff that would bring dinner to the hotel were so friendly and caring. They made us feel welcomed and it was apparent that they truly cared about Kasen and the rest of our family. Our kids would look forward to seeing them and still talk about them even though we are home.
Prior to staying at RMHOC, we never knew truly understood what RMHOC did. Hearing stories from other families who are dealing with situations more serious than ours really gave us a better perspective of how truly impactful the assistance and support RMHOC provides. Since our stay, one of the first things we share with others is how amazing our experience at the House has been. When people support RMHOC, it makes it possible for families to be together - that time together is invaluable.”
