When Thea was born, she was diagnosed with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome (HLHS), a rare congenital condition where the left side of the heart doesn’t develop properly. She had her first open-heart surgery at five days old and another at eight months. Not long after, her heart began to fail, and in February 2023 she was admitted to Seattle Children’s Hospital.
For more than two years, Thea lived in isolation at the hospital, connected to IV medication 24/7 while waiting for a transplant. Her parents, an active military family from Eatonville, juggled life between home and the hospital, with one parent back home caring for Thea’s sisters, Isabella and Nyssa, while the other stayed with her at Children’s. The separation was hard on everyone.
Everything changed when the Brawleys learned about Ronald McDonald House. Moving into the House meant Isabella and Nyssa could stay close to their sister and spend time as a family.
“Being at Ronald McDonald House brought us together again,” says Rovianne, Thea’s mom. “Thea was able to see her sisters, copy what they were doing, and that helped her development so much. Doctors warned us she might have delays, but watching her sisters play pushed her to reach her milestones. It was amazing.”
At the House, the sisters found joy in the toy room, arts and crafts, biking on nearby trails, and even cheering at Mariners and Huskies games. They made new friends—both with other children staying at the House and the staff and volunteers they affectionately called their “kitchen friends.” For Rovianne, simple things like pantry access and nightly meals lifted enormous burdens. “It really was like a second home,” she said. “Honestly, more like home than our actual house, where we’d only lived a short time.”
By September 2025, the Brawleys had been on the transplant list for more than two years. They had given up hope and were preparing to transfer to a hospital in Chicago to try for a transplant there, when the most unexpected thing happened.
“About 30 minutes after we had finalized our transfer orders to Chicago, our doctor at Seattle Children’s called and said they had a heart for Thea,” Rovianne recalled. On September 9, 2025, she received her new heart.
Just two weeks later, the Brawleys checked out of Ronald McDonald House after more than two years of waiting and hoping. “If it wasn’t for the House, our family might have only been together once a week,” Rovianne said. “Instead, we had meals, support, and time together. Situations like ours are already so hard—but here, we never felt alone. We’re forever grateful.”
