MILWAUKEE, Wis. — Oliver Vetscher looks like any other happy active and playful five-year-old boy, but Oliver had a tenuous start in life, diagnosed with a life-threatening medical condition.
"It's called gastroschisis. It's a birth defect. His insides were basically on the outside," explains his father, Tim Vetscher.
Tim and his wife Amie were on a list to adopt their second child. They answered the call when they learned a newborn needed a loving home.
Vetscher recalls, "His birth was a surprise. His placement into our family was a surprise, and then his very serious medical condition on top of everything was very much a surprise. In a sudden event like that your family, your friends, like they just can't ramp up that quickly."
One place that did ramp up was the Ronald McDonald House in Minnesota.
"We were able to be there for him. And, you know, give him the attention he needed because the Ronald McDonald House was giving us as his parents, everything we needed," Vetscher said.
That meant Vetscher did not have to coordinate babysitters for older sister Evelyn.
"I really think they are that safety net that people don't realize they need until it's actually there," said Vetscher.
That support is why Tim and his wife Amie are committed to helping the Ronald McDonald House Charities of eastern Wisconsin.
Kaylen Gerro has volunteered at the local Ronald McDonald House for several years.
She notes, "It really is an all-encompassing space to find fun and peace and overall happiness, or a rainbow hidden within whatever that family is going through."
Board member Melanie Ricks loves knowing that families here connect and discover they're not alone.
"You have so many other families that can relate to your struggles. And even if their struggles are not the exact same, they're going through something, and you can share in and bond," Rick said.
As a thank-you for the care Oliver received, Vetscher recently enlisted TMJ4 for a team to make and serve a home-cooked meal for families at the Milwaukee area Ronald McDonald House.
Colleagues were moved by the experience.
Vetscher explains, "When you're volunteering at the house to see just the gratitude of the people who are coming through the line to get dinner. It really touches you."
Gerro adds, "It's so heartwarming to be here. It's just an amazing place."
Ricks states, "For me, it's that reminder of even when things are bad, there's still so much good that you can pull from. They are a good reminder of that."
Vetscher shares, "They're really a Godsend. I mean, my family knows that firsthand. We were able to experience what that house provides, a family in need. You know, personally, it will always have a place in my heart."
