Featured Family Story

(In Their Own Words)

Fifteen weeks prior to my due date, I felt like something was not right and asked my doctor to meet me at the hospital in Brevard County. He quickly realized I would be having the baby very soon and requested a transfer to Florida Hospital in Orlando. There, we could receive care in a more appropriate neonatal intensive care unit.

Our daughter, Sadie, was born just a few hours later, weighing 1 pound, 13 ounces. She was just 12 inches long. Obviously, her survival was our top priority, but we were also devastated to think that our home was over an hour away in Melbourne. How were we going to be in two places at once? We could not leave Sadie alone in the hospital as she fought for her life.

One of the nurses in the hospital suggested the Ronald McDonald House close by and gave us a referral. Upon my discharge from the hospital, we checked in to the Ronald McDonald House, right on the campus of the hospital. We were only moments away from our daughter.

Sadie’s recovery and growth was very slow. During her 16 weeks in the NICU, she had countless blood transfusions, daily x-rays, a broken arm, spinal taps, ultrasounds, three infections including meningitis, seizures, eye surgery… the list is endless.

My husband and I felt very strongly that our presence was paramount in her recovery. Thanks to the Ronald McDonald House, we were able to be with our daughter every day of her hospital stay. There were times I woke in the middle of the night and could visit her without having to make the 1.5 hour drive from our home.

Not only did the Ronald McDonald House give us a place to sleep, we also were provided with meals every day prepared by caring volunteers whom we did not even know. With food from the pantry and meals provided by community groups, we did not have to pay for food one time during our stay. Even our morning coffee was waiting for us in the kitchen every day!

The House also gave us a place to unwind and be comfortable in between visits to the hospital. We were able to watch a movie, use the Internet, wash our clothes, and have visitors. It became our "home."

When we look back on Sadie’s NICU stay, we have mixed emotions. We are sad to think of what Sadie endured, but we are also so amazed by the generosity of the Ronald McDonald House staff and volunteers. We have never in our lives seen such altruism. Literally, some evenings I would walk into the kitchen and just start crying when I would see the volunteers preparing dinner. It was so comforting to have somebody caring for you when you are giving every ounce of your being to care for your sick child.

We will always be grateful for the Ronald McDonald House, which provided us with a "home-away-from-home" when our family needed it. Sadie has made great strides since we left the hospital. To look at her now, you would never know she was born weighing less than two pounds.

We are grateful that this warm, caring, place is available to families such as ours who are facing the most stressful of times – the illness of a child.

Gina Burns
Melbourne, Florida