MCCC’s Student Government has teamed up with a family that recently stayed in the Ronald McDonald house to bring about awareness for the house’s cause.
Gabriel Jordan was born on May 11, 2011, with a heart condition known as Transposition of the Great Arteries.
This heart defect means Gabriel’s aorta and pulmonary arteries were switched, preventing her heart from properly pumping blood to her lungs.
Gabriel also had holes in both the upper and lower chambers of her heart.
At 6 days old, Gabriel had surgery to fix these conditions.
If not for the Ann Arbor Ronald McDonald house, Gabriel’s mother, Kyleigh Jordan, would not have been able to be with her daughter as much as she was throughout the surgery.
The Ronald McDonald house provides services to families with hospitalized children. Families who live far away from the hospital are given a place to stay in the house so they can be closer to their child during the hospitalization.
“The house is incredible; it has an amazing atmosphere,” says Kyleigh Jordan.
At only $10 a night, or whatever donation a family can afford, the house provides private rooms and bathrooms, a kitchen, home-cooked meals, and interaction with other people going through the same ordeals.
Gabriel and her family now want to give back to the house for the services it offered to them while Gabriel was undergoing surgery.
The families’ goal is to raise 1 million pop tabs to turn into the Ronald McDonald house by May 17, the one year anniversary of Gabriel’s surgery.
That many tabs equals about 637 pounds in weight, which determines how much the tabs are worth upon being recycled.
The family also wants to collect 1 million tabs per year, with an ultimate goal of donating a total of 5 million tabs.
To get involved, all you have to do is put tabs from any cans in collection jars found around campus. There are jars in the cafeteria, Cellar, and library.
If you wish to donate tabs off of campus you can contact Alyssa Davis, a member of student government, or Tom Ryder , Campus Community Events/Students Activities Coordinator.
Also, be sure to like the page “1 Million Tabs for Gabriel” on Facebook to get further information.
Today, Gabriel is a smart and gorgeous baby girl. She had an amazing outcome with her surgery and will be able to live a normal life and perform the same tasks as any other children.
Gabriel’s success was helped made possible by the Ronald McDonald house. By collecting tabs for Gabriel, students can help others receive the same kind of assistance.
