NOVEMBER NOVEMBER2020 2022
1982-2022 of the Red River Valley
154 Nights
Family Story
The Jones Family In the fall of 2016, six-year-old Chase Jones, son of Marcie and Doug Jones, was diagnosed with cancer. Specifically, he was diagnosed with Philadelphia Chromosome Positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (Ph+ALL), a rare subtype of the most common childhood cancer, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Chase’s diagnosis was devastating for his parents and three older siblings. The family spent the next several years in and out of the hospital, hanging onto hope at the Red River Ronald McDonald House in Fargo. Marcie and Doug were introduced to RMHC by a hospital social worker back when it was located at the South House, then continued to stay at
the new location when needed. The Jones family
weeks in the hospital. He proceeded to develop posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome
(PRES), a rare condition in which parts of the brain are affected by swelling. This swelling led to a
seizure that put Chase in an eight-day coma. The Jones family spent those long days wondering if Chase would survive. He received therapy after his miraculous recovery, and for five additional weeks, RMHC provided a safe and comforting home away from home.
“For over six years, the Ronald McDonald House has been a mainstay. It’s something we could always rely on and find comfort from.” - Marcie Jones (154 Nights)
consider it a huge relief that they had a safe place
to stay as Chase received care in Fargo–especially since they live in Granville, ND, five hours away.
“We never, never questioned that we always had
In 2017, the summer after he turned seven, Chase
where we knew everybody. It was like a family.
became ill with pneumonia and spent several
somewhere to stay,” Marcie said. “A safe place They always had everything we needed.”
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