NOTE: While this feature is usually titled Good News Friday, it is being featured as Good News Saturday this week due to the unfortunate news yesterday that Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner I’ll Have Another has been retired and will not run for the Triple Crown. And quite frankly, we could all use a little bit of good news today.

It’s every parent’s worst nightmare; finding out their child is gravely sick or injured. To compound the situation, many families simply cannot afford the thousands of dollars in medical fees and transportation costs it takes to find the right specialist, especially those not near a major medical complex. That’s where the Ronald McDonald House sweeps in to help save the day.

“My wife and I lived at Ronald McDonald House of Cincinnati for five months while our son, EJ, received treatment at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital,” said Brisnet’s Ed Derosa. “It had an immeasurable impact not only on us but also on the care EJ was able to receive because we were able to be a part of it day or night–something that would not have been possible for 20 weeks without an affordable place to stay nearby that provided a home more than just a roof over our heads.”

On Thursday, June 7, jockeys from the New York jockey colony Javier Castellano, Irad Ortiz, Maylan Studdart, Jose Ortiz and John Velazquez were joined by I’ll Have Another jockey Mario Gutierrez to spend a half hour with the kids and families facing real difficulties in their lives.

“It gives them a little bit of a distraction,” said Ronald McDonald House Executive Director Matt Campo. “It’s really just a special morning for everybody to forget about the hospital and get a sense of normalcy.”

This tradition has become an annual tradition and shows no signs of stopping any time soon.  “NYRA is proud to partner with the Ronald McDonald House of Long Island for their annual Jockey visit,” said NYRA Director of Community Relations, Joanne K. Adams. “We’re committed to providing support to organizations that have a positive impact on our local communities.”

The Ronald McDonald House mission statement is “to give comfort and shelter to families with a sick child in a local hospital.” According to Derosa’s recent experience, it appears Ronald McDonald House’s across the country are fulfilling this mission.. “EJ’s healing continues from home now, and the growth we experienced as people does too. Ronald McDonald House humbled us and makes us want to be better people. People often said to us, ‘I don’t know how you do it.’ I don’t know how we’d have done it without Ronald McDonald House.”

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Thanks to the generosity of Three Chimneys Farm, the sponsor of Good News Friday, a donation of $100 will be made in support of the Ronald McDonald House Long Island http://www.rmhlongisland.org/. Three Chimneys will be donating $100 each and every week we bring you a story of people or organizations making a positive difference in our world.