The kitchen is known as the “heart of the home,” but for Diana Soto and her son, Diego, the kitchen at the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Northwest Florida (RMHC) in Pensacola has become their closest connection to their home in Mexico City.
Diego is undergoing a clinical treatment trial in Gulf Breeze to combat Muscular Dystrophy and for more than nine months has made his home at RMHC. Diana’s home-cooked meals have been a source of joy and comfort for other families as well as staff at the RMHC.
“I like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen and cooking, it gives me a sense of being back home. As long as Diego asks for it, I’ll be in the kitchen,” Soto said. “The (RMHC) makes me feel comfortable. There are multiple families but we feel that we are all one big family.”
That kitchen, however, has suffered 14 years of constant use from volunteer meal providers and families staying at RMHC while their children undergo life-saving medical treatment at nearby hospitals.
Diego’s stay at the RMHC:Illness has taken 10-year-old’s ability to walk, but it hasn’t taken his joy