Camden's heart journey began when his mother was 22 weeks pregnant and learned something was wrong with his heart. He was born on January 14, 2019, at MUSC Shawn Jenkins Children's Hospital here in Charleston.
After birth, Camden went straight to the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (PCICU) for 14 weeks. It was here that Camden was diagnosed with several heart defects and heterotaxy syndrome—all of his organs were on the opposite side of his body, and he was born without a spleen. He would need several heart and stomach surgeries to make him stronger.
Being 3 hours away from their home, Camden's family found a "Home-away-from-home" at RMHC Charleston for the next 10 months so they could be right by his side while he received treatment.
“For 10 months, because of the Ronald McDonald House, we were able to stay close to our son while he had his surgeries and treatment. The staff and volunteers took away our stress by providing us with everything we needed. I hope one day I’ll be able to give back and help others as much as the house helped us.”—Courtney, Camden’s Mom
Now, Camden is a happy and healthy four-year-old who is thriving!