Healing Hearts Bereavement Program

The time of grieving is often the most painful and overwhelming period that a person will experience. In this spirit, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northeast Indiana is honored to announce our new bereavement program, Healing Hearts, in memory of Mathis Michael.  This new program will care for those family members who are left behind after the loss of a child. The program offers families financial support and resources during this tragic time in their life.

In Honor of Mathis Michael

“Mathis ‘Moose’ Michael passed away unexpectedly in 2018; he was only 3 years old. The wonderful doctors and nurses at Parkview tried for 13 days to save his life after he suffered an aneurysm due to an undetected condition he was born with, AVM. Due to his condition, our family couldn’t stay in the PICU room with him as much as we wanted. Mathis required zero stimulation to allow his brain to heal better. With nowhere to go but the hospital waiting room or parking lot, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northeast Indiana offered a room to us at no charge. The way in which we were received was gracious despite our fearful chaos. We walked from a hospital hallway into a 5-star facility that looked and felt like a welcoming home.

“Although we were living inside a parent’s worst nightmare. “Ron’s house” gave us a peaceful place to prepare for inevitability harder days to come. We stepped into a peaceful quiet space that looked and smelled different than where we would visit our son just a short walk away. We were able to rest and process our current situation privately. As a mother, it was important to me to be able to prepare meals for my family. The beautiful kitchen provided us a space to break bread together, a living room to gather and pray as a family, a comfortable bed to wake up in, and our own room to cry not so silently inside as a set of parents terrified to have to say goodbye to their own flesh and blood.

“We weren’t in a good place emotionally or mentally, yet we were met with kind, understanding people. We were confused and angry as losing our child was far from our minds. The volunteers and staff at RMHC house were always so helpful, so loving. We had immediately inherited a new family and knew they had us during our worst days. Moose eventually lost his fight with his life here on earth. He is now with the best babysitter parents could want for their child, Jesus. Our faith is strong and our appreciation for life has exploded. We miss our Moose every day, but we know so many good things have happened because of him. His heart still beats today. His kidneys saved two people’s lives. He was a donor. The miracle we all had been praying for WAS him. He is a hero today.”

– Cass, Mathis’ Mother