MIAMI, FL. – When doctors in Antigua said eight-year-old Janelle Charles’ only option was to have both her legs amputated by the following week, it did not sit well with her mother, Thekla. That was six years ago. Thekla’s online research led them to Sheila Ann Conway, M.D., Chief of the Division of Orthopedic Oncology in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
Dr. Conway did a biopsy and confirmed that Janelle had osteosarcoma. Janelle’s road to recovery has not been easy, but the now fourteen-year-old is resilient and has returned to Miami for multiple surgeries since her first consult with Dr. Conway. Each time, Janelle and Thekla stay at Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) South Florida, usually for 30 days at a time. Every year, RMHC South Florida hosts over 200 families like Janelle and Thekla. Not surprisingly, the House located on the Jackson Memorial Hospital campus serves a very international clientele. Families from the Caribbean make up 30% of all the RMHC South Florida families. The top five countries represented at the House include the Bahamas, Haiti, and Trinidad.
“We believe family is the best medicine and our goal is to keep families together. When a child is critically ill, that should be the only thing a parent has to worry about,” says Soraya Rivera-Moya, executive director of RMHC South Florida. “We are honored to serve patients such as Janelle in their time of need. The most rewarding part is when a patient is finally able to go back to their actual home. Their time with us is temporary but the staff is committed to providing them all the love and support they need during that time. Some families stay for a few weeks while others stay for months, depending on the level of care they need. We also have patients like Janelle, whose care has spanned several years. It is a joy to watch these children grow up.”
Parents of newborns in the neonatal intensive care unit at Holtz Children’s Hospital, and children needing organ transplants or cancer treatment have long inpatient and outpatient stays and are the most frequent visitors to the house.
