I found out I was pregnant with Mono-di twins in March of 2023. My pregnancy was deemed high risk and so I had several appointments with the Maternal Fetal Medicine Clinic at McMaster Children’s Hospital. Through this experience I learned about the Ronald McDonald Family Rooms located in the hospital. Hot coffee, fresh healthy snacks and smiling volunteers always made the long hospital appointment days that much easier.
I was 30 weeks and 6 days pregnant when my water suddenly broke at home. After arriving at the hospital, we quickly learned that the babies would be arriving 2 months early. Our daughters, Wren and Ivy were delivered naturally and soon rushed to the NICU to be treated. My husband and I were anxious and began to worry about the uncertainties.
When I was discharged from the hospital, our social worker told us we could stay at Ronald McDonald House Charities South Central Ontario (RMHC SCO) since we lived over 65km away – a fair distance from the hospital where our twins were still being treated. The next day, we checked in to the House. The amount of stress lifted off our shoulders in this moment was unbelievable and we are forever thankful we could stay at Ronald McDonald House to be close to our daughters.
My husband and I stayed at the House for over 60 nights until our children were discharged and able to come home. During our time at the house, we felt a sense of relief, calmness and support. The staff and volunteers provided us a home away from home along with fresh cooked meals and amenities. It was always so heart-warming to see special birthday celebrations held for those staying at the House, holidays being celebrated, and a sense of normalcy.
Everyone at RMHC SCO was kind, supportive and understanding. They truly did begin to feel like family and we don’t know what we would have done without them during some of the hardest days of our lives.
If we were unable to stay at RMHC while our children were receiving NICU care, we would have had to drive over an hour to-and-from our home, every day. We are truly blessed and grateful that RMHC provided us a home just minutes away from our children.
RMHC SCO will forever hold a special place in our heart – they go above and beyond for families, and really makes difficult times feel easier. There was no better place to be and we cannot thank Ronald McDonald House enough.
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