At just 20 weeks pregnant we learned that our baby, Nathan, had CPAM - a mass on the lower lobe of his lung and he would likely need surgery after birth to remove it.
At the time of Nathan’s 1st birthday, he was scheduled for surgery at McMaster Children’s Hospital. Since we live nearly an hour from the hospital in Guelph, we originally scheduled to stay at a nearby hotel. Following Nathan’s surgery there were some complications which meant we need to extend our time at the hospital. That’s when we were referred to stay at Ronald McDonald House across the street from the Hospital.
If we did not have the RMHC SCO, we would have continued to pay for our hotel stay or would have driven back-and-forth from Guelph.
Staying at the House made things much easier for my husband and I – they provided the everyday essentials including homecooked meals, showers and a private bathroom, laundry machines, and a place to park our car and sleep. Even though these are everyday essentials, we didn’t think about how we would’ve gotten them otherwise, especially while all our focus was on Nathan. When you are in such a traumatic time the last thing you want to do is eat, sleep, shower and leave the hospital; the fact that the Ronald McDonald House is so close makes it easier to care caregivers to take care of themselves so they can be there for their child.
One of my favourite memories of my time at the House was getting a birthday card on my birthday. It was such a small but grand gesture, especially when you're going through something hard. This made me smile because it was so unexpected.
As a family who went through a traumatic time, we now see donations and fundraisers on a deeper scale. We have always been a family who likes to donate, and now knowing the magnitude of what donation do for families, we have a lot more compassion for families who are struggling.
A huge thank you to the staff and volunteers who were so attentive to us in our time of need. They made the check in process and out entire stay a smooth worry-free process!
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