Meet Grayson, a boy who loves the Ronald McDonald House
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- CBS3 presents our 13th annual Ronald McDonald House Charities Telethon on Thursday, Nov. 17. This year it's called Give a Little Love, and we're raising money to help the four Ronald McDonald Houses in our area.
What really makes the RMH shine is the way families feel at home from the moment they arrive. CBS3's Kate Bilo introduces you to Grayson, a little guy whose favorite place to visit is the Ronald McDonald House of Philadelphia.
"He's energetic, he's helpful, he's sweet, he's hilarious, he loves to sing, loves cars," Britni Witter, Grayson's mother, said.
Grayson Witter feels right at home in his home away from home.
He'll still ask his mom if they can go visit. "I'm like 'we really don't need to go now as much,' and he's like, 'I really want to go back,'" Britni Witter said. "He loves the fact that he can go downstairs and grab snacks."
Looking at Grayson, a spunky little boy today, you'd never guess that just one year ago, he was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, a cancer that forms in the lining of the eye.
"I was like 'oh my gosh, cancer, what, my kid has cancer?'" Witter said. "And he had just turned 3, I'm supposed to be excited about him going to Head Start in 2 weeks and now I'm freaking out because I don't know what we're going to do," Witter said.
Now, Grayson's cancer is in remission. He still has vision in his right eye, but his mom and dad know that there's a chance he will lose his sight in that eye as well.
"No one wants their child to have a disability, but if that were to happen I think it would be alright because we already know what it's like so we could be able to help him out better adjust to that," Witter said.
Both Britini and Grayson's father Donal are visually impaired, so they know the challenges their son may someday face.
"I still have visions of him losing his vision completely so I'm still crying occasionally," Donal said. "You're sitting there blaming yourself and saying 'why did I let this happen to my little guy?' But then you realize that it's not your fault and stuff happens."
When parents get the news that no mom or dad ever wants to hear, the Ronald McDonald House is there to offer weary parents a place to rest and recharge. A place to call home.
"I remember when we first walked in here after the many hospitals, this was the first time we were able to get in it was like a breath of relief, there was food on the table and there was a room with all the amenities you would ever need and like for a second we could breathe it was the best feeling ever," Witter said.
"We can run a marathon, but sometimes you need a little water and this is the bit of water that we needed to get to the finish line and get the little guy the help that he needed," Donal said.
The Ronald McDonald House is truly a home away from home for so many families. Please consider to Give a Little Love to children just like Grayson.
Click here for details on how to donate.