The Pantanella Family
April 18, 2024
Tony and Amanda Pantanella were taking in the bliss of their second year of marriage, their love for one another, and a baby girl on the way. With meticulous planning and every precaution in place the two were ready to venture into parenthood for the first time with one another. They had a birth plan, a wonderful Duala, and determined spirits.
When the two were preparing for Amanda’s 28-week check up, they expected it to go just like any other; the two would seamlessly attend together and Tony could head to his job where he works third shift. However, Amanda’s intuition told her something wasn’t right. “I told him a few days before, even a few weeks before, which is weird,” said Amanda. “I was like, I think we really need to work on the house because I don’t think we’re going to—I’m going to be full term.”
Amanda knew her fears were true when the doctors took longer to enter the room than usual. Once the doctors arrived to let her know the situation, Amanda found out she had preeclampsia, meaning her pregnancy was now high risk, and she then was admitted to Erlanger Hospital, an hour drive away from her and her husband’s home, indefinitely.
“We were just told we’re going to keep you here every single day. We don’t know when you’re going to get discharged, ”
Amanda says. Her blood pressure was checked every 15 minutes and only continued to rise. Every morning at 7am Amanda would need blood work and an ultrasound to check on baby “We [Amanda and her doctors] were talking about keeping me admitted until the baby came,” Amanda continued. “Which they were hoping they could keep her [in] until 35 weeks at least…little did we know 72 hours later.”
Just three days after being admitted to Erlanger Amanda felt the worst pain she’d experienced yet. “I thought I was in labor, that’s how bad it was,” Amanda tells us. “I’m trying all the different techniques that my Doula taught me on labor pains, and I still can’t breathe. Eventually I lost consciousness. My liver was releasing a toxin that was knocking me out. I was breathing more of a toxin than I was oxygen, my goodness.” Shortly after 4am the following morning doctors let Amanda and Tony know it was time, their baby needed to be delivered.
“They [Erlanger doctors] presented us with options,” Tony recalls. “ They’re amazing and patient with us trying to honor Amanda and I on our wishes; but, if it gets bad enough it’s an emergency C section [and they said] Dad, you can’t be in the room for that.” At this point the couple called down their doula who had been coaching the couple to prepare for a natural birth. After Amanda’s bloodwork came back, all options were taken off the table. An emergency c-section was the only option.
“We had this whole expectation of what it was like to have a child and within a short amount of time that’s off the table.”
Tony continues. “I asked ‘Well, can I pray with my wife?’ They all left the room, our doula and I prayed with and over Amanda.” Tony prayed over Amanda at 7:10 that morning and their baby girl Melody was born at 7:24 am at one pound, 13 ounces.
The first few days following Melody’s arrival the couple stayed in the hospital until the time came and Amanda was discharged on April 21st, but baby Melody still needed time in the NICU. After the hustle of it all, the couple remembered their social worker had informed them about Ronald McDonald House Charities. When 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.”
As a result of checking into the Ronald McDonald House, Tony and Amanda did not have to take on all of the stress that comes with commuting to be with their daughter. “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 RMHC 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 RMHC 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.”
This House is much more than a building, it is a place where parents can find peace over a cup of coffee, siblings can make fast friends in the playroom, and a long day in the hospital can end with a shared meal and the comfort of not being alone. Ronald McDonald House hallways have seen spirits break and heal- but one thing stays the same: the families are the heart of the Home. For three and a half decades, RMHC’s mission has remained unwavering: To provide families with the care and resources they need when their child is sick and to support programs and services that directly improve the health and well-being of children. More than just a place to sleep, RMHC Chattanooga offers home-cooked meals, a warm bed, and a supportive community that understands the emotional toll of medical trauma. No matter the length of time or service utilized, the goal is to lift the strain families are facing. Every room in the House holds a powerful story. Some begin with the fear of an early birth, others with a diagnosis no parent expects. In just the first few months of 2025, a mother found rest while her 9-year-old daughter received leukemia treatment next door at Erlanger. She was joined by her two younger daughters, and for 51 nights, this House became their safe place. In another room, a mother stayed close during her newborn’s 112-day fight in the NICU. Her baby boy was born at just 24 weeks. She remained strong, showing up each day alone while dad continued working back home. A few doors down, a family from Rhea County checked in after their newborn’s emergency transfer to the NICU. They stayed for 106 nights, finding strength in the rhythm of close hospital visits, prepared meals, and the community of other parents walking a similar road. These are not rare stories, but the reality inside the walls of RMHC for the past 35 years. From its beginnings as a 12-bedroom house, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga has grown into a multi-program organization focused on meeting families where they are. The Ronald McDonald Family Room at Erlanger extends comfort into the hospital itself, while House to Home provides support beyond a family’s stay. The addition of the Mindful Room offers a quiet, reflective space inside the House designed for emotional rest and healing. This incredible work would not be possible without the generous support of the local community. From corporate sponsors and longtime donors to volunteers and Adopt-A-Meal groups, countless people have played a role in sustaining the mission. McDonald’s owner/operators, in particular, have been an essential part of the organization’s foundation and future, contributing not only funds but also time, heart, and advocacy since the facility’s inception. Since 1990, RMHC of Greater Chattanooga has served thousands of families, each with a story that shaped the organization’s legacy. While the programs may grow and evolve, the aim will always be the same: to support families when they need it most, with compassion, understanding, and care. As RMHC of Greater Chattanooga celebrates this milestone anniversary, it also steps into a new season— one rooted in the same love that has carried the mission since day one. While much has changed, one thing never will: family will always be the heart of the Home.
At Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Chattanooga, we believe that our mission works best when it feels like family and few reflect that spirit more beautifully than the team at Southern Roofing and Exteriors. For the past year and a half, Chris and DeeDee Dyer along with their son and C.E.O, Terrell, have shown up faithfully through our Adopt-A-Meal program, preparing dinner once a month for the families staying at our House. DeeDee plans the meals, cooks them with care, and brings a sense of comfort that can’t be measured in servings. “Children are my heart,” DeeDee shared. “RMHC has always been on our radar — we’re just grateful for the opportunity to give back.” Their impact doesn’t stop in the kitchen. It’s woven into their company culture. A few weeks ago, one of their team members, Josh, started volunteering with us for Adopt-A-Meal and something clicked. After helping serve dinner, he came back for more: supporting our BugaPalüza event, helping at the front desk, and even bringing his fiancée, McKayla, to serve alongside him. What Josh shared afterward left us teary eyed. “These people are putting families together.” He said that being here and seeing the mission in action — gave him the confidence to propose. But what makes Josh’s story even more powerful is what brought him here. When Josh was 12 years old, he collapsed after a cold cross-country meet. What followed was a sudden diagnosis of pectus excavatum, a severe chest wall deformity that required major open-heart surgery. Doctors placed a stabilizing bar across his chest, and he spent seven months on bed rest. During that time, with 75 miles between their home and the hospital, Josh’s family, his parents and two younger siblings, stayed at Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Piedmont Triad in Winston-Salem, North Carolina for six days. Now, years later, he’s back in a Ronald McDonald House — not as a patient or a guest, but as a volunteer. A giver. We’re so grateful to the Dyer family and Southern Roofing and Exteriors for the love they’ve poured into our mission. From meals, to memories, to moments of connection that remind us why we do what we do. They are, in every sense, helping us keep families together.
