Our son Ned Burden III (Bud) was at a high point of his life when he received terrible news that brought his world crashing down. In 2009 he was a sophomore studying welding engineering at The Ohio State University. He was having constant back aches and finally had a roommate take him to the ER.

Bud was diagnosed with an adolescent cancer called Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor or DSRCT, a very rare soft tissue sarcoma cancer and would need extensive chemotherapy and surgeries.

We started our journey at Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Bud was given extremely, strong doses of chemotherapy which required him to stay in the hospital. Understandably, he never wanted to be left alone while receiving treatment but we lived approximately 2 hours from the hospital. Bud wanted to stay in Columbus surrounded by the friendship and support of his classmates but the constant travel made it more difficult for us parents

We were offered a room at the Ronald McDonald House right across the street from the hospital. It became our home away from home.

It provided a place for one of us to sleep and shower, while the other stayed with Bud. It gave us a chance to sit and fellowship with other parents around a large, dinner table. It helped being around others who were going through what we were going through. We supported and encouraged one another.

Bud lost his battle after 22 months.

He fought hard and will be forever missed and never forgotten.

We will always be grateful for the use of the Ronald McDonald House and the community we found there that helped get us through the worst times of our lives

Bud is the son of our own Machelle Burden.

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