What brought Sergeant Chris Payne to the Ronald McDonald House to volunteer?  A baby girl with a hole in her heart.

Five years ago, little Emma was born to Chris and his wife Tara in a rural clinic 90 miles outside Kansas City.  The baby came quickly – just after the doctor arrived.  And just as quickly they realized that Emma needed specialized care. Within a couple of hours, she was rushed to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City.

Emma has Down syndrome and was born with an Atrioventricular Canal – a congenital heart defect.  She spent 10 days in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) while her parents stayed nearby in the Ronald McDonald House. Six months later, they stayed at the House for six days when Emma had heart surgery.

“She did fantastic and recovered phenomenally,” Chris said. “But I missed a lot of work that year and it cost us a lot of money. Staying at the Ronald McDonald House made us feel like we were at home.  Not having to worry about things like meals or washing our clothes gave us time to think about our baby.”

The Payne family moved to Tucson five years ago when Chris was transferred to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.  He oversees the weapons load-crew training and is a cabinet member of the Davis-Monthan Weapons Booster Club. Chris and his crew were at the Ronald McDonald House cooking lunch a few weeks ago.

“I have always been wanting to give back to the Ronald McDonald House and now I’ve found the way.”

Thanks to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City for taking such good care of our new friends.

To join volunteers like Chris and the DM-WBC, visit the Chef for a Day page and schedule your meal.