Once upon a time there was a little boy named Jack. He was a beautiful baby boy but had one problem. His heart wasn’t formed properly.
And he was very sick. Eventually, Jack needed a heart transplant to survive.
Jack would spend almost the entire first year of his life in the hospital. The doctors and nurses took very good care of Jack. And he eventually grew strong enough to go home to his family who loved him very much.
Now Jack’s grandma and grandpa were grateful to the doctors and nurses who had cared for Jack at the hospital. And they hoped that one day they would be able to do something for this very special place.
One day Jack’s grandma and grandpa were out buying a steak sandwich. Jack’s grandma decided to buy $5 worth of lottery tickets. She didn’t play the lottery often but would occasionally buy a ticket when the jackpot grew large. And then something amazing happened.
Jack’s grandma won the lottery! In fact, she won almost $400 million dollars. Which is an awful lot of money.
Now Jack’s grandparents could buy anything they wanted. But, in the midst of their windfall, they remembered the hospital and all those doctors and nurses who had taken care of their grandson. And they wanted other families to have a state-of-the-art facility where children with congenital heart disease could have a second chance at life. Just like Jack.
So Jack’s grandparents gave some of their lottery money to the hospital. And the hospital built a beautiful Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (PCICU). It is bright and cheery, with large windows and colorful artwork. Most importantly, there is all the latest technology which helps the doctors and nurses care for these children.
This is an amazing story that started out sad but ended happy. And the story goes on. Now there is a little girl named Becky. Just like Jack, Becky’s heart didn’t form properly before she was born. She needs lots of special help to make her heart work again. Because of Jack’s heart and the generosity of his grandparents, baby Becky has the best chance for a normal life.
Because Becky has one of these remarkable rooms at the PCICU. That Jack’s grandparents built. With the money that Jack’s grandma won.
It’s a very wonderful story.
The Refillable Glass 
Oof. Your emails need to come with a box of kleenex! We were all praying for your family overnight.
Big love Susan
On Thu, Jan 21, 2021 at 8:47 AM The Refillable Glass wrote:
> Kathleen Rauch posted: ” Once upon a time there was a little boy named > Jack. He was a beautiful baby boy but had one problem. His heart wasn’t > formed properly. And he was very sick. Eventually, Jack needed a heart > transplant to survive. Jack would spend almost the” >
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Tears are running down my cheeks. What a beautiful story! What a blessing from those generous grandparents, what a happy ending for Jack and his parents, and for the 20-30 babies and their families that have this same surgery as Becky every year! And all the other babies with heart conditions who are helped in this hospital. 49 years ago, on our honeymoon, we bought a lottery ticket in Rhode Island for $1.00. Our first, and we never bought another. But maybe we should; they can apparently do wonderful things! Love you, Becky, and so grateful to Jack’s grandparents and their unselfish generosity!
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It is a wonderful story ❤️🙏🏻❤️🙏🏻
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If I didn’t better, Jack’s grandparents names could have been Barbara & Jack-they lost a grandson named “Jack”.
, and have supporting children for years. They also honor their grandson with a tournament in his name (all monies going to children charities.) Oh, their last name is Nicklas.
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Thank you to all who give.
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The House that Jack’s Grandparents Built! Wonderful story – thanks for sharing.
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Truly amazing!
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[…] have this surgery behind us. I’m so thankful for Becky’s successful procedure and for the supportive community at both the hospital and the Ronald McDonald House. And I’m forever grateful for the […]
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[…] those first post-op hours. Nurse Kathleen also brought Becky lots of headbands. As Becky held court in the PCICU, I tried to understand her worsening medical […]
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[…] launch for this post. For I’ve wanted to write about two experiences that I had in the PCICU during Becky’s first open heart operation. One experience was difficult, another […]
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[…] I first met her parents, Maddie and Kingsley, at the Ronald McDonald House. Their daughter was in the PCICU while Becky was in the NICU. Often, while Mom and I ate breakfast, Kingsley would be at the table […]
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[…] Dr. Kristen that she and her team will remain in my prayers, as will all those other families battling in the PCICU. She wears a medal of St. Raphael around her neck, the archangel of healing. Her healing touch […]
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[…] check up on us. Dr. R. had operated on Becky when she was just 10 days old. Although out of place in the PCICU, she stayed for almost an hour visiting with me. We talked about the struggle to raise children and […]
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