The Pantanella Family

Tony and Amanda Pantanella stayed at Ronald McDonald House® Greater Chattanooga while their daughter, Melody, grew stronger in the NICU at Erlanger, an hour from their home.

At her 28-week checkup, Amanda was diagnosed with preeclampsia and admitted to Erlanger. Three days later, her condition became critical, and doctors performed an emergency C-section. Before the surgery, Tony and their doula prayed over Amanda. Melody was born at 7:24 a.m., weighing one pound, 13 ounces.

Amanda was discharged on April 21, but Melody still needed time in the NICU. The couple’s social worker connected them with Ronald McDonald House Greater Chattanooga, across the street from the hospital. Looking back on their first night at the House, Amanda says, “It was relief. I walk into this house not like anything… it does feel like our temporary home…it’s amazing.”

Staying at the House spared Tony and Amanda an hour-long commute each way, so they could be with Melody every day. “First day here our friend brought us food and we ate out on that patio. [It was] the first time I’d seen the sun in over a week… best meal of my life.” Amanda recalls happily. “It’s kind of normal now.” Tony says while the couple was nearing their 6 week mark at the house. “We call this home. Let’s go home…if we didn’t have this place here our lives would look completely different.”

“This has been an absolute game changer for us and really allowed us to be present with our daughter and be there for her…” Tony continues, “We have felt extremely helpless in this situation. But being here at the house has helped us not feel hopeless. So many things are out of our control, having some stability of just being able to walk across the street, have a place to eat a meal, rest and lay our head down on a nice comfortable bed, do our laundry- it’s just all the things that we take for granted. It’s just so easily accessible here… this place has made us feel so welcomed."

Flash forward to October 2023, Melody Elise just turned 6 months old, and Amanda and Tony are enjoying their beautiful new life as Mom and Dad. The sweet trio came down to our Golf Classic this month to spend some time with their Ronald McDonald House Greater Chattanooga family. We enjoyed beautiful weather, a yummy lunch, and caught up with one another. Amanda fondly told us how the experience jogged her memory of volunteering at Ronald McDonald House Greater Chattanooga with her mother in her youth and how she would explain, “These people are going through a hard time…we are here to serve them.”