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A Whole Lot of Heart

Ronald McDonald Houses are places where families can find hope, support and vital resources when their child is in the hospital.

They are places that give families the strength they need to help their child fight illness or injury. And they are also places filled with love, where your notion of family gets a little bigger, and where hospitality and compassion reign.

For the Dethmers family, finding a lot of heart at a Ronald McDonald House meant a little more. Their baby, Cody, was born with heart complications requiring not one, but three separate surgeries within the first sixth months of his life. And to get the best care for Cody, Tiffany and Josh Dethmers traveled to Sunrise Children’s Hospital in Las Vegas, about 7 hours away from their hometown of Reno, Nevada.

Far from their home, separated from their other son, Nathan, who was able to stay with his grandparents during Cody’s hospitalization, and with demanding jobs, the Dethmers checked into the Ronald McDonald House in Las Vegas and found the resources they needed to keep their lives as normal as possible.

At the vulnerable age of just four days, Cody went in for two life-saving heart surgeries. The Dethmers were worried and scared, but back at the House they found hope by connecting with other families, gaining a positive outlook from volunteers, and being a support system for other families. Cody made a speedy recovery from his initial surgeries and was able to go home in May.

After a check-up in August though, he was life-flighted back to Vegas for another surgery. The doors of the Ronald McDonald House in Las Vegas were once again open for the Dethmers and they continued to find the strength they and Cody needed to overcome his heart problems. In just a couple weeks, Cody was making big steps toward a full recovery and was able to go home once and for all.   

In total, the Dethmers stayed at the Ronald McDonald House 69 days, and with each day the family that they found at the House continued to grow. Tiffany and Josh became an integral part of other families’ RMHC experience as well, talking to them, baking cookies and brownies for them, providing hope for those facing daunting challenges. Through their stay, the Dethmers found the kind of heart that Cody needed to make his way out of the hospital and onto a full recovery.

Comments (3)|(Hide)

  • Meredyth

    29/02/2012 9:06pm

    Awwwwwwwwww........... This story made me very sad. Cody must be a very strong boy. This story made me tear up

  • Lauren

    21/02/2012 11:27am

    AWWWWW... i just broke through some tears *cry* that must have been so hard to the Dethmer's Family ! ~always pray to make it through ~

  • Len Trout

    14/02/2012 7:55pm

    Cody is our second Grandson from Josh and Tiffany. I was fortunate enough to see first hand how your facility is and how caring the people are. First class in every aspect. We couldn't be happier for the Dethmer's family to be able to use your facility. What a "trooper" Cody is!

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