This past summer, 17-year-old Ricardo Meza was anticipating a senior year filled with varsity football games, time with his girlfriend and preparations for high school graduation.
Instead, the week before school started, everything changed. He began sleeping 15 to 17 hours a day. When he was awake, he struggled to walk without stumbling. What started as fatigue quickly escalated into severe nosebleeds, red spots across his body and a change in his skin tone.
Suddenly, Ricardo and his mom, Diana, were no longer preparing for the first day of school – they were fighting for his life. Ricardo was transported by ambulance from Yuma to Phoenix, with his mom driving close behind, where doctors confirmed a devastating diagnosis: B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
As Ricardo began treatment, one thing became immediately clear: he wouldn’t be going home anytime soon. That’s when Ronald McDonald House provided a place for his family to stay just steps from the hospital.
The impact was immediate.
“It’s hard for my mom, trying to deal with hospital payments on top of house payments,” Ricardo said. “Ronald McDonald House makes it easier for her, because she doesn’t have to worry about being charged here. It’s the one place she can actually feel at ease.”
Ricardo spent 28 days in the hospital before transitioning to Ronald McDonald House, a move that brought a sense of stability for the entire family during an otherwise overwhelming time.
“We literally came to Phoenix with only the clothes on our backs and nothing else,” Diana said.
But when they arrived at Ronald McDonald House, everything was ready, from a room stocked with essentials to a place to do laundry. They found immediate relief. After weeks of sleeping bedside at the hospital, Diana no longer had to worry about where she would stay or how she would take care of herself while caring for her son.
From their first day at Ronald McDonald House, one moment stands out.
“We hadn’t eaten a good, homecooked meal in at least a month,” Diana said. “It was a big sigh of relief knowing I didn’t have to cook anything that first night. We’re grateful for the volunteers who provide that support every night.”
That simple act of having a warm meal waiting enabled Diana to focus on what mattered most: getting Ricardo settled and continuing his care.
For Ricardo, that peace of mind for his mom meant everything.
“If not for Ronald McDonald House, I don’t know where we would have stayed or how I would have eaten most of the time,” he said.
Now months into treatment, Ricardo’s senior year looks a lot different than he imagined. He’s completing school online while navigating frequent hospital visits, strict precautions and the ups and downs of chemotherapy. Doctors are hopeful he’ll be able to walk at graduation with the rest of his senior class, before returning to Phoenix to finish treatment.
At Ronald McDonald House, he’s found a sense of normalcy and connection. His siblings visit as often as they can without disrupting their schooling.
For Diana, having a place where her son is safe, comfortable and close to care has made all the difference.
“At least I know he has somewhere comfortable and clean where he can stay,” she said.