3: SoCal

The mission of Mental Health Advocacy Services (MHAS) is to protect and advance the legal rights of children and adults with mental disabilities, in order to maximize autonomy, promote equality, and secure the resources needed to thrive in the community. Each year, MHAS provides free legal advice and representation to more than 3,000 low-income people, like Jaime, whose story is highlighted below.

You Can Help Keep Families Close to Their Hospitalized Kids
“The Ronald McDonald House kept us close to our babies in the hospital. We could hold them and love them instead of being stuck in traffic while critical moments slipped by.” ─ Bell Family

When I checked on Reese, my then 8-month-old daughter who lay asleep in her crib, I noticed an incredibly rapid, abnormal heartbeat. My husband, Jay, and I raced Reese to a local emergency department. Medical staff immediately transferred us to the cardiovascular intensive care unit at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego.

When Kody Frazier and fellow Marines went for a night out on the town, they did the responsible thing and got a car service to drive them home. On the way, a drunk driver hit their vehicle and Kody took the impact of the accident. After being extubated in the Intensive Care Unit at 3:00AM, Kody’s first words were, “Where’s Memaw?” Grandma (aka Memaw), Carolyn Winn, was at Fisher House San Diego and rushed up to the hospital to be at Kody’s bedside, when this moment was captured.