Marchelle’s son Reese weighed less than 2 pounds when he was born and spent the next four-and-a-half months under observation at Huntington Hospital. As a young parent, the experience was traumatic and exhausting. Marchelle and her husband were fortunate to live just five minutes away from the hospital and their new baby. Many others in their position weren’t so lucky.
Marchelle soon joined a NICU support group at the hospital, where she met Shelley Miles, who suggested they create a Ronald McDonald House in Pasadena. Together with Kathy Selders, Marchelle studied up on zoning codes and nonprofit administration. She even took a part-time job at the Los Angeles House to learn the ropes.
The Pasadena House finally opened to the public in 2004, just days after Reese’s 10th birthday. Reese lived to be 14—far longer than Marchelle or the doctors ever dared to dream. Today, Marchelle lives in South Pasadena with her husband and daughter. She stays connected to the mission of RMHCSC as the Executive Director of Mending Kids, a charity that provides life-saving surgical care to children around the world.
