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Chris Nehls Gives Back

I was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma when I was nine years old. My parents were told I’d be lucky to live two years. That was more than 30 years ago.

Now I’m a husband and have children of my own. And I donate both my time and money to support Ronald McDonald House Charities.

In 1976, my diagnosis was usually a death sentence. Fortunately my doctor, Stuart Siegel, was a world-renowned pediatric oncologist. He’s also a long-time member of the RMHC Board of Trustees. I received an experimental treatment and had to live in a sterile plastic bubble for three months. Sometimes I was so sick, I wanted to give up. Having my parents with me is what got me through.

Soon after I finished chemo, the first Ronald McDonald House in Los Angeles opened—the third in what is now a worldwide network. My mom and I stayed there whenever I went for check-ups. It was comfortable, affordable and convenient. Volunteers provided home-cooked meals every evening, brought activities for guests, or just offered a listening ear over a soda or cup of coffee. Mom and I could talk with other kids and parents going through the same thing.

Until I became a parent myself, I didn’t understand what parents of sick children go through. As you read this, families around the world are frightened, exhausted and coping with unimaginable crisis: the critical illness of their precious child. For my family and for others like us, Ronald McDonald House Charities offers comfort and hope.

Won’t you join me in giving back?

 

“Before the Ronald McDonald House opened, I had to live in a rundown motel near the hospital. There was no one to talk to, no one who understood what I was going through. A child’s illness affects the whole family. It’s a very emotional, very rough time."

– Anette Nehls, Chris’s mom

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