Florida family finds comfort in Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House: "I have a hard time not calling it home"
This time last year, a Florida family had their life turned upside-down. Months later, they ended up in Philadelphia.
"When we heard cancer, we were like, 'Oh my gosh,'" Jeno Sanchez said of learning his son, Zayden, had cancer. "We were devastated."
Cancer is what brought the Sanchez family to Philadelphia.
"We came with a suitcase, and we just arrived," Eva Castro-Sanchez, Zayden's mom, said. "We ended up in CHOP."
In April, Zayden and his mom, Eva, were medically flown to the City of Brotherly Love from Florida. The teenager was battling leukemia.
"I just remember grabbing him and holding him," Castro-Sanchez said, "and I told him I would never leave him alone."
That meant finding a place to live. The Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House quickly became home for Castro-Sanchez.
"I have a hard time not calling it home," Castro-Sanchez said. "That just speaks to the way that they treat people here."
Sanchez and Zayden's 5-year-old sister, Ava, joined Castro-Sanchez in July.
While home physically looks different for the Sanchez family, the Ronald McDonald House on Chestnut Street feels like it.
"As soon as I walk through those doors, I just feel a sigh of relief," Sanchez said.
From hot meals and a warm bed to family activities and schooling for Ava, the Sanchez family feels all their focus can remain on their two kids.
Remember when Castro-Sanchez said she'd promised her son she'd be there every step of the way? Well, in August, she became his donor for a bone marrow transplant.
As Zayden gains strength at CHOP, Castro-Sanchez, Sanchez and Ava cheer him on.
"We don't give up," Sanchez said. "We help each other out."
Zayden's adopted family at the Ronald McDonald House does too.
"I would say it's like the biggest hug and the warmest hug ever," Castro-Sanchez said. "That's what it feels like being here."
Zayden is a black belt in taekwondo and hopes to get back to competing one day.
The family is expected to be at the Ronald McDonald House through February.
Be a part of the village that helps create the Ronald McDonald House Charities a home away from home. And don't forget to tune into the telethon on CBS Philadelphia on Nov. 21.
To learn more and donate now, visit RMHC.org.
