Born with complex medical needs, Emir's journey began with obstacles no baby should face. Surrounded by the support of RMH Pasadena, his family found a home where hope grew stronger with each passing day.
Emir was born in 2023 with clubfoot and Amniotic Band Syndrome--a condition that caused several of his fingers and toes to be joined together. For his mother, Cassandra, the diagnosis came as a complete shock. Despite multiple ultrasounds and prenatal appointments, nothing had suggested that anything was wrong with her baby.
Desperate for answers, Cassandra visited doctor after doctor in Mexico, but no one could explain her son's condition or tell her how to help him. Feeling lost and running out of options, she turned to the internet. Her search eventually led her to Shriners Children's in Pasadena. At first, it seemed almost too good to be true. “My family told me I was crazy.” She recalls. “They said that they were going to scam me.”
But with nowhere else to turn, she began the application process.
After a year of paperwork, emails, and phone calls, the hospital finally informed her that Emir would need treatment requiring them to stay in Pasadena for three months. The news brought a new set of worries. She had no idea where they would live, how she would afford the trip, or what challenges lay ahead. Still, Cassandra was determined.
“I don't know who I'm going to stay with. I don't know where I'm going to get the money from. I don't know, but I'm going,” She remembers telling a friend.
But it was easier said than done.
As the reality of the trip approached, Cassandra began searching for places to stay. Her hope quickly faded when she saw the cost of housing.
“When I saw the prices, I said ‘I can’t do this. This is what’s going to stop me.’”
Just when it seemed that her journey might end before it began, the hospital told her about Ronald McDonald House Pasadena.
Despite her concerns, Cassandra made the journey to Pasadena with Emir. When they first arrived at the House, Cassandra was overwhelmed with relief.
“I couldn’t find a better place,” she says. “I didn't think it would be so welcoming, so beautiful, so understanding.” Now, Emir can interact and play with other children, and Cassandra can better support his recovery without the financial pressures of medical procedures and accommodating life hundreds of miles from home.
Now, Emir is receiving the care he needs and has the chance to interact and play with other children during his treatment. And because of Ronald McDonald House, Cassandra can focus on supporting her son without the overwhelming financial burden of being hundreds of miles from home.
