Dasha Brown is a beautiful nine-year-old from Oakland, Arkansas. In 2003 she was diagnosed with Fanconi Anemia, a blood disorder. In July 2004 she received her first blood transfusion and her second in October. In November she traveled to San Antonio, TX for a stem-cell bone marrow transplant at Methodist Children’s Hospital. The hospital in San Antonio arranged for Dasha and her mother, Lori, to stay in a nearby hotel until Dasha was released in March of this year. That’s when they moved into the Ronald McDonald House in Little Rock.
Lori and Dasha were a little apprehensive the first night they checked into our House, thinking here we go again, in a strange place and a strange city, but Ernie Barrett made them feel at home immediately. She said it was so different from staying in a hotel room because of the emotional support from the caring staff and bonding with the other parents experiencing the same kind of stress with a seriously ill child.
Lori couldn’t praise Chantal McPherson, House Manager, Monica Sloan, Night Manager and Ernie enough. “It’s just the simple things they do that makes such a difference. They act like you’re the only one.” They were really sad when they had to leave. They moved out of the House two months ago. When they return to Arkansas Children’s Hospital for additional treatment they stop by the Ronald McDonald House and when they walk in they are always greeted “like family”.