The James Family Story
Dixie was born in 2009 with hypoplastic left heart syndrome—the bottom-left chamber of her heart was not fully functioning—and would need several open-heart surgeries to fix it. During such a stressful time, we could not have been more grateful for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Charleston. When Dixie had her first open-heart surgery at only 4 days old, we were fortunate to stay at the House for the month she was in the hospital.
She had her second surgery at 8 months old. Before Dixie’s final heart surgery at age 3, she went into heart failure and was placed on the transplant list for one year and two months. While we waited on the list, we were back-and-forth from our home in Columbia to Charleston for regular doctor’s visits.
During this time, Dixie had a PICC line in her arm 24/7 to pump a special medication that kept her little heart functioning. She received her new heart seven days after her fourth birthday. After Dixie’s transplant, we were able to stay at RMHC Charleston for two months while she got stronger.
With each surgery and doctor’s appointment in between, our family was so fortunate to call RMHC Charleston our “Home-away-from-home” countless times over the years. After staying at the House for months at a time, we know how special it is.
From providing meals, privacy and anything else we could need, they helped our family in so many ways during some of the most stressful times of our lives. The people that work there were so kind and always checked in to make sure we were okay. We felt comforted knowing we had someone there to talk to whenever we needed it. We are forever grateful for RMHC Charleston—they’re strangers that turn into family who are there for you during your hardest times!
Today, Dixie is thriving as a happy and healthy 12-year-old!
Your future gift ensures that we can continue supporting parents when children need critical care. Contact Alix Tew at alix@rmhcharleston.org or 843-723-7957 Ext. 303 to learn more.