Meet Amal and CeCe.
This week is International Family Week at Ronald McDonald House New York.
During this week, the House celebrates the culturally rich environment created by incredibly resilient and courageous families both past and present from all over the world who seek answers and positive conclusions to their children's health journeys. Our strength as a House lies squarely inside our ability to provide care to the most vulnerable families, whether they be from Lebanon or Long Island. Everyone deserves support when battling through their darkest hours.
This story is one of creativity, laughter, family, Home, and how those words rarely look exactly the same twice.
Amal and CeCe Abi Samra, also known as CC Grey, revisited Ronald McDonald House New York after living in the House from December 2018 to September 2019.
By December 2018, when they moved into Ronald McDonald House New York (RMH-NY), the 95-room House on East 73rd street that provides wraparound services to families with kids seeking treatment in NYC hospitals for cancer and other life-threatening illnesses, Cynthia "CeCe" Abi Samra—now known by her pen name CC Grey—had already been a steadfast pillar of support for her lifelong friend Amal Rababy Salem and her son, Jad.
For five years from 2013 to 2018, CeCe had been their anchor in a foreign city, offering not only her Staten Island apartment but the unwavering love and care of family. Now, Jad, Amal and CeCe were stepping into a place designed for families just like theirs—a home built on resilience and community and designed to offer so much support that a family has every moment of the day to devote to their child’s health.
This home would inspire CeCe to begin creating and writing an epic tale of supersized proportions; a story that gives us an overpowering, cancerous villain and an unsuspecting group of kids that use their powers to furiously fight. P.S. the kids turn out to be our heroes all along.
In The Years Before the House
Jad's diagnosis with osteosarcoma as a teenager in Lebanon propelled his mother, Amal into action. She refused anything but the best care for her son. Within a week of diagnosis, they were in New York, navigating the unknown world of cancer treatment at Memorial Sloan Kettering. But they weren’t alone. CeCe, already an honorary family member and the cousin living closest to the Upper East Side hospital, took them in without hesitation.
Her two-bedroom apartment quickly became a battleground where love, hope, and medical appointments coexisted. Along with her three cats and a pet snake named Jade, CeCe played caregiver, chauffeur, and comic relief, shuttling Jad 45 minutes to and from the hospital every day.
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As the months stretched on, the emotional toll deepened. CeCe balanced her own personal struggles, dropping out of school and quitting her job with the weight of watching a loved one fight an unforgiving disease. Despite the hardship, she never wavered in her commitment, offering words of hope even when exhaustion threatened to take over. Her apartment walls bore witness to whispered prayers, quiet victories, and the unbreakable spirit of a family determined to overcome the odds.
From a Two-Bedroom Apartment to a 95-Room House
By the time they moved into RMH-NY in December 2018, exhaustion had long set in but so had an unbreakable bond. For nearly a year, Cece remained by Amal and Jad’s side throughout their stay at Ronald McDonald House New York, no longer the sole provider of support but now part of a much bigger network of care and compassion.
Fast forward five years, and CeCe and Amal have returned—not as residents, but as visitors celebrating a milestone. CeCe has officially launched Letherea, the first book in her World of Atlas series, a project that had its earliest roots in the living room of RMH-NY. Their return is a chance to reflect, to reconnect, and to honor the journey that brought them here. Walking through the halls again, memories flooded back—both the painful and the joyful. Every room held a story, every familiar face a reminder of how far they had come.
The Living Room Where a Story Grew
For CeCe, RMH-NY wasn’t just a home—it was an inspiration. The resilience of the children she met, including Jad, shaped The World of Atlas series in profound ways.
“I think the book originated in Sloan (Memorial Sloan Kettering) after I met all the kids,” she recalled. “There were a few kids that were crying and then laughing, crying and then laughing.”
This collision of joy and sorrow, the defiant spirit of children facing unimaginable battles, became the heartbeat of her writing. Her Olympians—fearless, larger-than-life heroes—were, in essence, the very children she lived alongside at the House. The living room, where families gathered, talked, and laughed, and comforted one another, became her creative refuge. She would often sit on one of the big, comfy couches, jotting down notes in between conversations, drawing from the laughter and resilience that surrounded her.
Laughter Amidst the Trials
Even in the face of hardship, laughter had a way of finding them. It was in the Nutella hearts that CeCe brought home one day, expecting a simple treat but ending up with Nutella-covered faces and uncontrollable laughter.
“I wanted to bring some for Jad in the House,” CeCe laughed. “And when we broke them, Nutella was everywhere. Everyone was covered in it!”
It was in the shared meals, where Amal’s love for cooking brought traditional Lebanese flavors to the communal dining table. Amal fondly remembered the warmth that radiated from every meal.
Amal, on community and family at Ronald McDonald House New York:
“And the only times he allowed me to leave him alone for long, only like an hour and a half, two hours was when I want to go and cook for him. And I used, we used to share with everybody in the House. We would share how we do it and we'll eat it together. The whole House was a family, and every family would share what they prepared, what it really is that feeling that you are home. You feel you are with your family; you don't feel away from home really. And you help each other. This is what's nice is you all understand each other's struggles.
Every small moment—whether it was playing video games with Jad, teasing each other like only family knows how, or late-night talks about dreams and fears—wove a tapestry of love that stretched far beyond the walls of the House. The laughter carried them through the darkest days.
A Bond Like No Other
Jad and CeCe were not bound by blood, but by something equally powerful—unwavering love. Growing up together in Lebanon, their relationship had always been one of deep connection, and cancer did nothing to change that. If anything, it strengthened it.
“I would have done anything for him,” CeCe said. “He wasn’t just a friend’s child—he was my little brother.”
When Amal returned to Lebanon to check-in on her other children at home, CeCe came to the House to stay with Jad and she recalled how CeCe had become the talk of the House in only a few short days. “I came back and it was ‘CeCe this…’ and ‘CeCe that…’”. It only took days for CeCe and Jad to become everyone’s best friend.
To Amal, CeCe wasn’t just a friend; she was a guardian angel who had sacrificed so much without hesitation. The House had given them a roof, four walls, and a community to call home, and CeCe had given them family to fill that home.
7 Reasons Everyone Loved Jad
- Growing up, Jad idolized Cynthia ‘CeCe’ Abi Samra and her brother. They were older, wiser, and just cool enough to make him want to be exactly like them. Imitation, after all, is the sincerest form of flattery—and Jad had that down to an art.
- He also happened to be a top-tier sleight-of-hand magician. At Ronald McDonald House New York, he dazzled the younger kids with tricks that left them wide-eyed in amazement. At the hospital, he worked his magic on anyone who crossed his path—nurses, doctors, even unsuspecting visitors. If you had a pulse and a moment to spare, Jad had a card trick for you.
- Jad’s laugh was less of a sound and more of an experience. It was the kind of laugh that could spread like wildfire—one chuckle from him, and suddenly an entire room was in stitches. If laughter is the best medicine, Jad was basically running a free clinic.
- His strength was legendary. One minute, he’d be doubled over in pain, the next, he’d bounce back as if nothing had happened—only to inhale what could easily have been an entire buffet’s worth of food. His resilience kept his family in awe and his appetite kept the kitchen staff, in other words, Mom, on her toes.
- Amal remembers sitting with Jad one afternoon at RMH-NY, a quiet moment between the chaos. She asked him, “If you could change anything, would you?” Without hesitation, Jad met her gaze and said, “No. Not even the cancer.” Some wisdom takes a lifetime to learn. Jad had it at his fingertips.
- He was the proud brother to two sisters, Maria and Yasmina—though, like any good sibling, he knew exactly how to drive them crazy and make them laugh uncontrollably when the occasion called for it.
- Before cancer, Jad was an athlete back home in Lebanon, always on the move. In a hospital room in NYC, CeCe asked him a simple question: “If you had a superpower in my books, what would it be?” Without missing a beat, he said, “Superhuman strength.” In The World of Atlas, that’s exactly what he got. Because for anyone who knew him, it wasn’t just a fantasy—it was the truth.
The Birth of Cancer Con
CeCe’s vision extends beyond the pages of her books. Inspired by her time at RMH-NY and Memorial Sloan Kettering, she began developing Cancer Con—an event designed to let kids fighting cancer be celebrated for superheroes they already are.
“Imagine if we can actually go to an event where the parents go through the boring stuff—doctors, trial drugs, explanations,” CeCe envisioned, “but the kids come in their own armor, like Comic Con.”
She imagines children donning personalized superhero outfits, each one symbolizing their unique journey. It would be a day of celebration, not just for the kids, but for their doctors, nurses, and caregivers—their real-life sidekicks in the fight against cancer.
Returning to RMH-NY: A Bittersweet Homecoming
Walking through the doors of RMH-NY again was an emotional moment for CeCe and Amal. Each hallway, each room carried echoes of their past—a reminder of both the hardest days and the moments that shined brightest.
“I think I want Amal and Jad and my whole family to show everyone that it’s going to be OK,” CeCe reflected. “I understand it’s hard and it’s hell… but it will be OK.”
Supporting RMH-NY: Creating More Moments of Joy
By supporting RMH-NY, donors help create more moments like those shared by CeCe, Amal, and Jad. Every contribution ensures that families facing unimaginable challenges have a place to find comfort, laughter, hope and even a creative spark here and there.
Quote from CeCe
If you actually sit down and dissect my life from when I was born until that day, you will see how fate has made it so that we are together, the three of us in New York at the same time for this. And so, I can say I changed, but I didn't lose anything. I just went out less, stop seeing my friends as much and just stayed with the people who made me feel, I think, like where I belong the most.
Celebrate the World of Atlas
CC Grey’s Letherea, inspired by the children Memorial Sloan Kettering and Ronald McDonald House New York , is now available. Through her storytelling, she continues to honor the courage and spirit of young 'olympians' everywhere.
Letherea’s official launch was Friday, February 28th, 2025 in The Blue Room at Pearl House in the Financial District of New York City. Visit greyhouselb.com for more information on the World of Atlas series.
Join her on this epic journey and experience a world shaped by resilience and imagination.
For more inspiring stories and ways to support RMH-NY, visit rmh-newyork.org.
