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Ronald McDonald House healing a family’s heart

A York County family celebrated Valentine’s Day with a visit to the Ronald McDonald House in Hershey. 8-month-old Parker Bowman was born with a congenital...

A York County family celebrated Valentine's Day with a visit to the Ronald McDonald House in Hershey.

8-month-old Parker Bowman was born with a congenital heart defect and had to be rushed to Penn State Hershey Medical Center. He had open-heart surgery at 13 days old.

His mother, Sabrina, was recovering from a C-section and couldn't drive. She stayed at the Ronald McDonald House for nine weeks while Parker was being treated in the hospital.

"Until you're going through this, until you have to rely on other people, you have no idea what it means to you to come down and say, there's fresh coffee," she says of her time there. "Or you don't know what you're going to do and then you come back and somebody made dinner."

The Ronald McDonald House has 35 rooms for families with children who need treatment at the hospital.

"It was like being home away from home," says Parker's dad, Todd Bowman. "It made you feel comfortable out here."

The Bowman family is hoping their story raises awareness and encourages donations to the Ronald McDonald House. The nonprofit has a wish list of donations that are needed, including food, toys, and baby items: check it out at this link.

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