CHARLOTTE — Nearly a decade after undergoing a heart transplant at just seven weeks old, Ollie Marleaux and his family found a safe space in a Charlotte nonprofit.
Ollie Marleaux is now 10 and thriving, but he still sees doctors often and takes medication daily. About a year and a half ago, his family found Mitchell’s House, a nonprofit counseling center for sick children and their whole family.
Meg McElwain is the center’s founder and CEP. Mitchell’s House is named after her son who was diagnosed with leukemia when he was 3 months old.
“He left right after his second birthday; I like to use the word left,” she told Channel 9’s Elsa Gillis. “He just was so sweet and funny, and we had some really good memories.”
After losing Mitchell, McElwain wanted to do something to support the mental health of families struggling with medical trauma at zero cost.
“When your child is sick, everyone wants to come and support you and be around you, but it is the loneliest feeling,” she said. “The level of stress is beyond what I can really even describe in words.”
She saw how impactful play therapy was for her other son.
“This really normalizes what these children are going through, whether it be the sick child themself or the sibling,” McElwain said. “The siblings carry so much stress and worry about their sick sibling, about their parents.”
Since 2022, Mitchell’s House has served as a safe place, with staff trained to support families through the intensity and heartache of serious illness.
“Mitchell’s House has also given us a lot of tools about, like, how you talk about big feelings or how you can release big feelings or coping skills when you’re maybe feeling worried,” Ollie’s mom, Alice Marleaux, said. “I think it’s led to some really good conversations in our family.”
Mitchell’s House is hosting an event Friday night to raise funds for the nonprofit. Learn more about the organization on their website here.
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