MEET THE ROCK FAMILY

“If we didn’t have the Ronald McDonald House, I would be staying bedside next to Jack every night. That might sound ok to some, but when one week turns into a month that turns into nearly a full year, that really weighs on the caretaker’s mental health and well-being.”

- Jack’s mom, Alanna

Gordon and Alanna Rock welcomed John IV (Jack) to the world on June 15, 2022 at the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. Shortly after the Rock family moved to Allendale, (near Grand Rapids) from Flagstaff, Arizona, they found out Jack would be born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). HLHS is when the left side of the heart is underdeveloped and cannot pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. Jack also has Jacobsen Syndrome which complicates his case further.

After Jack was born, he was intubated for four months in the Pediatric Cardiac Thoracic Unit (PCTU). Between Jack’s birth in June, and Thanksgiving, Jack underwent four surgeries. What they thought might be a one, or two month hospital stay, turned into eight months of living under our roof at the House.

“Although it was difficult to leave Jack to walk over to the House at night, I knew it was the only way that I could sustain our long hospital stays. My husband had to eventually return to work and felt better knowing that I was being taken care of at RMHC Ann Arbor with a hot meal and a quiet place to rest,” shared Alanna.

After 250 days, the Rock family went home for the first time in late February. Unfortunately, their time at home was cut short and Jack had to be airlifted back to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital. As Alanna packed hurriedly for the hospital, she only took a few things knowing that the House could provide her with whatever she didn’t bring.

Alanna stayed at the Mott House to be close to Jack. She felt maybe this was .just a blip and they’d be home in a few days. But that was not the case, and after a week, Alanna moved back into the Main House and at the time we interviewed her for this story, they had been staying there for two months.

Jack is progressing well, and they hope to go home shortly after his first birthday in June. They will return for more surgeries down the road, but they know that they have the comfort and support of RMHCAA beside them in this journey.

“RMHCAA is not just a room. RMHCAA is an overall sense of home. It’s all the little touches like a warm blanket given in a Welcome Bag, a Mother’s Day gift outside my door, an always stocked coffee bar, all wrapped into a gift that is beyond words. Thank you!” - The Rock Family

Board Of Directors

Rob Aldrich

Sheri Belcher-Tribble

John Charpie, MD

Luanne Thomas Ewald

Steve Furr

Aaron Gramling

Mayuri Guntupalli

John Hamilton

Krista Lenart

Andrew Loy

Kathy Matney

Gautam Muthusamy

Mark Pfau

Jennifer Schaible

Kara Slater

Debbie Tirico

Mark Van Sumeren

Monique Vann-Brown

Russ West

JZ Zdanowski

Loree Collett, Emeritus

Rosie Fellhauer, Emeritus