Four-year-old Xylianna pads down the hallway at Ronald McDonald House Central and Northern Arizona in her favorite cowgirl boots each morning, eager for her daily cup of chocolate milk in the community kitchen.
Known as her family’s “sour patch kid,” Xylianna is sweet, feisty and full of personality – even as she undergoes physically taxing and sometimes uncomfortable treatment for acute B-cell lymphoblastic leukemia.
For her mom, Ashley Diaz, staying at Ronald McDonald House means so much more than a daily glass of milk. For more than a decade, Ashley worked at a McDonald’s in Gila Bend. When her family first arrived at Ronald McDonald House, she immediately recognized something familiar. It was the name of the franchisor who once signed her paychecks on the Good News Bell that is rung when families celebrate a major medical milestone or their “graduation” from the House.
“I used to ask customers for donations for Ronald McDonald House,” she said. “I never thought it would be my family needing their help.”
In December, Ashley thought Xylianna had a common cold. But while her sisters recovered quickly, Xylianna didn’t get better. Her fever came and went, and new symptoms began to appear. When Ashley and Xylianna’s dad, Bernardo, noticed their daughter’s skin was starting to turn yellow, they decided to make the nearly 2-hour drive to Phoenix Children’s.
Bloodwork revealed Xylianna’s hemoglobin was dangerously low, and doctors admitted her immediately. She received a leukemia diagnosis two days later.
“As parents, we knew something was really wrong with her,” Ashley said. “She wasn’t our happy little girl.”
Xylianna remained hospitalized for nearly two weeks as her days became a whirlwind of procedures and chemotherapy. Doctors urged the family to stay close to the hospital once they were discharged, especially during the earliest phase of treatment when a slight fever could be a life-threatening emergency.
“Our heads were spinning and we were worried about finding a place to stay somewhere nearby,” Ashley said.
That’s when the hospital connected the family with Ronald McDonald House Central and Northern Arizona, a place to rest just minutes from Xylianna’s care.
“Walking into Ronald McDonald House just felt like relief,” Ashley said, after 12 days of sleeping bedside at the hospital. “We were pretty tired, and I think we slept for a whole day. It felt nice not to be interrupted by nurses and doctors.”
Ashley says the greatest gift has been the proximity and peace of mind.
“The thing I appreciate the most is that we were given a place to be close to the hospital,” she said. “It took away a lot of stress and helped us focus on Xylianna.”
The family’s two-bedroom apartment at Ronald McDonald House has been especially helpful as Xylianna adjusts to treatment that will continue for the next two and a half years. It gives Xylianna room to do what she loves, like dancing, singing, coloring and making slime and Play-Doh creations, in a clean and safe environment. The space also means her sisters get to visit on the weekends so the family can spend time together.
Outside their apartment, Xylianna enjoys visiting the community kitchen, walking around the common areas and picking out books from the little library outside – her cowgirl boots tapping softly down the hallway each step of the way.
Reflecting on the experience, Ashley hopes others understand what support like this means for families facing the unimaginable.
“Donating to a place like this helps take the burden off of a lot of families,” she said. “Thank you. It means a lot to take that weight off our shoulders.”
