A Happy Ending
Traveling away from home for an extended period can be difficult in any circumstance, but the challenge is even bigger for patients and their families. At Open Arms, we provide a home away from home for those who must travel to receive the help they need, and we put every effort into supporting them during this time and letting them focus exclusively on getting better. This was the case for Ray Brown, MAA Accounting Systems Administrator who works in the Germantown, TN, corporate office, and his family who stayed at the MAA Nashville West community in Nashville, TN, earlier this year. By Pedro Acevedo, Internal Communications
During a routine scan, Ray’s family was informed that their son required a heart transplant consultation at the Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, TN. After several doctor visits, scans, and consultations, the professionals at the Vanderbilt Medical Center offered them an alternative procedure in the form of a double coronary bypass.
While the family was relieved to have this less invasive option, they were immensely stressed over the details regarding lodging in proximity to the Vanderbilt Medical complex, which can quickly add up to thousands of dollars a month. “Thanks to MAA’s Open Arms charity, our family was given the peace of mind to cross this agonizing item off our list. The apartment assigned to us after his operation offered us a respite from the tribulations of hospital life, but more importantly, a temporary yet peaceful place to call ‘home,’” said Ray. “We were also mercifully relieved of the burden to stock our living space with common items necessary for extended stays away from home.”
According to Ray, staying with Open Arms allowed his family breathing room to focus on his recovery over other everyday worries and details that would create undue stress. Today, the story has a happy ending. Ray’s son is thriving and, at the time of writing, is on track to graduate in December 2022 with his Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering. He is also looking forward to pursuing a Master of Science degree in the same field. “Our family was given the peace of mind to cross this agonizing item off our list.”
Mackenzie Dalton Brown
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