Support During One of the Hardest Times in Our Life

Graylon Graylon Myles Posey was born on Sept. 30, 2015 with a life-threatening condition called pulmonary hypertension, believed to be caused by pneumonia while in-utero. Shortly after his birth at Aiken Regional Medical Center in Aiken, South Carolina, he was rushed by ambulance to the Children's Hospital in Columbia, South Carolina. He remained there for one night when we received a phone call that no parent ever wants to get. We were told if they did not immediately get him to the MUSC Hospital in Charleston, South Carolina that he would not survive. They were not able to airlift him because of the terrible storm caused from the hurricane off the coast, so Graylon had to take another two-hour ambulance ride that evening.

When he got to Charleston, they were able to get him stabilized, but that next day he took a turn for the worse. His vitals went all crazy and their last effort was to get him hooked up to the ECMO machine (heart/lung bypass surgery). He was on ECMO for five days and they decided that it was time for them to do testing to see if he would be able to come off ECMO. The test went so well that even the doctors were surprised, and they were able to remove him from it that day. Once off the ECMO machine, they put him on the ventilator, and after a few days, his numbers were so good they were able to put him on a CPAP breathing machine. He remained on a CPAP for about a week and then went on a nasal cannula. Graylon came down with rhinovirus and was put back on the CPAP, but after about 10 days he was able to come off of that and breathe normal air. He then began working on feeding and taking a bottle. He did amazingly well with that and it wasn't long before we were able to come home!

Graylon spent a total of 32 days in the NICU at MUSC and were beyond thankful for the Ronald McDonald House of Charleston. I honestly don't know what we would have done without it. With our hometown being over three hours away from the hospital it would've been nearly impossible for us to drive back and forth to be with our son. The Ronald McDonald House not only gave us a very nice place to stay, but it provided us with support during one of the hardest times in our life. The staff members were all so welcoming and went above and beyond and their smiling faces always made your day a little brighter. I never thought I would give birth to a child who was in very critical condition, especially after having such an easy pregnancy with no issues, but sometimes things happen and I'm forever grateful and humbled by all the help and support we received from the Ronald McDonald House.

With Graylon only being two months old now, the road ahead of us is unknown as to whether he will have any issues in the future from his extensive medical history. We are just asking everyone for continuous prayers for Graylon. We believe God has blessed us and all the glory be to him! We are so thankful to have him in our lives today. Gray will have to follow up periodically with high risk doctors in Charleston to rule out any learning disabilities or future health problems and he goes weekly to occupational and physical therapy appointments here in Aiken. He continues to make amazing progress and he's nothing short of a miracle baby!

Give Families Hope
You can give families the support and comfort they need away from home by making a gift to Ronald McDonald House of Charleston. Contact Alix Tew at alix@rmhcharleston.org or 843-723-7957 Ext. 303.

A charitable bequest is one or two sentences in your will or living trust that leave to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Charleston a specific item, an amount of money, a gift contingent upon certain events or a percentage of your estate.

an individual or organization designated to receive benefits or funds under a will or other contract, such as an insurance policy, trust or retirement plan

"I, [name], of [city, state, ZIP], give, devise and bequeath to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Charleston [written amount or percentage of the estate or description of property] for its unrestricted use and purpose."

able to be changed or cancelled

A revocable living trust is set up during your lifetime and can be revoked at any time before death. They allow assets held in the trust to pass directly to beneficiaries without probate court proceedings and can also reduce federal estate taxes.

cannot be changed or cancelled

tax on gifts generally paid by the person making the gift rather than the recipient

the original value of an asset, such as stock, before its appreciation or depreciation

the growth in value of an asset like stock or real estate since the original purchase

the price a willing buyer and willing seller can agree on

The person receiving the gift annuity payments.

the part of an estate left after debts, taxes and specific bequests have been paid

a written and properly witnessed legal change to a will

the person named in a will to manage the estate, collect the property, pay any debt, and distribute property according to the will

A donor advised fund is an account that you set up but which is managed by a nonprofit organization. You contribute to the account, which grows tax-free. You can recommend how much (and how often) you want to distribute money from that fund to RMHC Charleston or other charities. You cannot direct the gifts.

An endowed gift can create a new endowment or add to an existing endowment. The principal of the endowment is invested and a portion of the principal’s earnings are used each year to support our mission.

Tax on the growth in value of an asset—such as real estate or stock—since its original purchase.

Securities, real estate or any other property having a fair market value greater than its original purchase price.

Real estate can be a personal residence, vacation home, timeshare property, farm, commercial property or undeveloped land.

A charitable remainder trust provides you or other named individuals income each year for life or a period not exceeding 20 years from assets you give to the trust you create.

You give assets to a trust that pays our organization set payments for a number of years, which you choose. The longer the length of time, the better the potential tax savings to you. When the term is up, the remaining trust assets go to you, your family or other beneficiaries you select. This is an excellent way to transfer property to family members at a minimal cost.

You fund this type of trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. You can also make additional gifts; each one also qualifies for a tax deduction. The trust pays you, each year, a variable amount based on a fixed percentage of the fair market value of the trust assets. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to RMHC Charleston as a lump sum.

You fund this trust with cash or appreciated assets—and may qualify for a federal income tax charitable deduction when you itemize. Each year the trust pays you or another named individual the same dollar amount you choose at the start. When the trust terminates, the remaining principal goes to RMHC Charleston as a lump sum.

A beneficiary designation clearly identifies how specific assets will be distributed after your death.

A charitable gift annuity involves a simple contract between you and RMHC Charleston where you agree to make a gift to RMHC Charleston and we, in return, agree to pay you (and someone else, if you choose) a fixed amount each year for the rest of your life.
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