JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Angela McDonald has chosen a life of sacrifice and profound love, dedicating herself to raising four medically fragile adopted children.
Her story is a testament to resilience, compassion, and the transformative power of love.
McDonald understands neglect firsthand, having grown up in foster care. This experience fuels her commitment to providing a better life for her children than she had.
“To be quite honest, this is something that has always resonated with me,” McDonald said. “Loving children and doing for others as people have done for me when I was in foster care. So, I’m just taking that positive energy and putting it back out there.”
All four of McDonald’s adopted children are non-verbal, blind, and face other serious health complications. Despite these challenges, McDonald focuses on the joy and opportunity to give them a chance at a life filled with love and care.
“I am an advocate. I can speak, I can go out and be that Mama Bear that these children need. And that’s what I’ve been doing for the past eight years,” McDonald said.
McDonald doesn’t do it alone. She works with a dedicated team of nurses and doctors to ensure her children receive the best care possible.
“All of my children have specialists and teams: pulmonology, orthopedics, nutrition, GI, and a smart clinic that deals with contractures. So it’s an ongoing process. We have PCP visits and emergencies. My day is extremely busy, but I enjoy it. It keeps me going knowing that my children are healthier, better, and happy,” said McDonald.
McDonald manages all of this in a three-bedroom, two-bathroom house. The garage has been converted into an additional room, with tracks on the ceiling to help move the boys for baths and navigate their rooms.
Medical supplies fill every corner, but there’s a place for everything. Despite knowing she has outgrown the space, McDonald focuses on the blessings in her life.
“If you don’t like something, what you put out is gonna come back that way,” McDonald advised. “If you put out fear, negativity, that’s what you will attract.
McDonald focuses on putting out positivity.
“If we fall, we’re gonna get back up, think about another way, and redirect. This is all you have to do, redirect that negative energy,” said McDonald.
McDonald epitomizes the true meaning behind the Positively JAX award. When things get challenging, she becomes stronger, softer, and more loving for the people in her life who need it most.
McDonald is indeed an angel on earth, and her story inspires us all to give back with love and positivity.
How you can help
McDonald is desperately in need of a larger home to care for her family.
You can share her story and donate to her GoFundMe campaign to help her toward that goal.