When Alina began her graduate thesis in architecture, she brought more than drafting pencils and design models to the table. She carried the weight of her own childhood — years defined by treatment for neuroblastoma, long stays at Memorial Sloan Kettering Hospital (MSK), and a second home at Ronald McDonald House New York (RMH-NY).

When a child’s health is at stake, every decision feels monumental, every day carries uncertainty, and every moment away from home is fraught with emotional weight. For Neisha and her 11-month-old son, Azaire, this reality began on the serene Caribbean island of Grenada and unfolded across the bustling streets of New York City.

When Grace Johnson arrived at Ronald McDonald House New York one summer evening with her baby girl, Gracie Rose, it wasn’t just a visit. It was a moment that tied together months of phone calls, late-night worries, and a growing trust between two women on very different journeys.

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is a time to honor the resilience of young patients and the families who navigate pediatric cancer, while also recognizing the staff, volunteers, and donors who help ease those journeys.

This September, join us in building a future where every child has the support they need to heal—and where families find hope, healing, and strength together.

One family who embodies this journey is that of 28-year-old Balnur and her younger brother, 16-year-old Dimash. Originally from Almaty, Kazakhstan—a city nestled at the base of the Tien Shan mountains—the siblings have been living at the House for over a year. Their story is one of perseverance, devotion, and profound love.

During International Family Week (April 28^th- May 2^nd) and only weeks before the world will recognize the UN-supported International Day of Families on May 15th, RMH-NY celebrates the incredible bravery of families like Edgar and Sirlene’s, who left everything behind in Paraguay to save their daughter Candela’s life. Their story reminds us that hope knows no boundaries and that…at Ronald McDonald House New York, every family belongs.

If love could be measured in generations, you’d find it in abundance in one particular suite at Ronald McDonald House New York (RMH-NY) on East 73^rd street in Manhattan. Inside those four walls are three hearts tethered tightly together: Marie, her son Mateo, and her mother, Ana Patricia. Three generations—grandmother, mother, and child—sharing a room, a journey, and a devotion that defies borders.

 By December 2018, when they moved into Ronald McDonald House New York (RMH-NY), the 95-room House on East 73^rd 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 Aunt Amal Rababy Salem and her son, and CeCe's cousin, Jad.