By Erin Duffy
Inquirer Staff Writer

For Maria Perez, the Ronald McDonald House of Southern New Jersey is more than just a place she stays occasionally - it's another home.

Perez, who lives in South Carolina, has traveled back and forth to the house for 16 years as her son, Juan, has been treated for retinoblastoma, an eye cancer, at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia.

"In the recent years, I've really enjoyed coming here," she said. "This is where my home is."

Now, families like hers can look forward to even greater care as part of a $2 million expansion announced at a news conference yesterday. The project will include a 3,500-square-foot addition to the building on Mickle Boulevard next to Cooper University Hospital.

READ MORE: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/local/nj/20080507_Ronald_
McDonald_House_announces_expansion.html

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