Families with children in Pediatric care at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center will soon have Ronald McDonald Room to turn to in the toughest of situations. The benefit this will provide families in our community is immense. Families from all over eastern Idaho come to EIRMC for quality pediatric care and the growth of EIRMC’s pediatric services has brought Ronald McDonald House Charities to Idaho Falls. With a level III NICU and PICU, EIRMC offers services to families throughout our region that made it eligible for a Ronald McDonald House Charities facility. This is a big deal! And, amazing support for families with children at EIRMC.
Ronald McDonald Room will offer some peace of mind in difficult times.
When a child is seriously injured or ill, they are the only thing on a mother’s mind. We drop everything to be by their side. We do all we can to understand what is happening and to get our child the help they need. But what happens when the hospital visit turns into overnight or the days become weeks? Families need a comfortable place to be able to stay close to their child. And late summer 2019, families will have the Ronald McDonald Room.
A local mom and our contributor, Stephanie, knows first hand the benefits that this room will bring families in our area.
“It’s hard to put in words what the Ronald McDonald House means to me and my family. We had just celebrated my sweet Noah’s first birthday when he was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, a rare form of childhood cancer. In the blink of an eye my husband and I had to leave our home, our jobs, our other children….literally giving up everything to save this beautiful little boy. We didn’t think about where we were going to stay or how we were going to pay for it. We didn’t think about how we were going to buy or prepare food. All we could think about was, “Is this the last time we will see him smile like that?” “Will his first and last Thanksgiving be in the hospital?” “Will we ever see him walk?”
The first time I went to the Ronald McDonald House was the day after Noah had undergone surgery to remove a large tumor. The nurses kept telling me I should go there, but I was hesitant to leave him, and I didn’t know how I could possibly talk to anyone about what we were going through. When I walked in though, the kindest volunteer met me at the door. They led me to the kitchen and sat me at a table with another woman, while other volunteers made and served us a warm dinner. The woman sitting next to me also had a child fighting cancer, and with tears streaming down both our faces we were able to tell each other how our hearts ached. For the first time since the diagnoses, I finally didn’t feel so alone.
Days soon turned into weeks and the Ronald McDonald House became our home away from home. It was because of them that we didn’t have to worry about where we would stay or what we would eat, and instead we could focus on Noah getting the treatment he needed. They had a place to do laundry and always kept food in the fridge, there were movies and books if we needed a moment to unwind, and the sweetest staff were always ready to give a hug or pass along a donated toy to my little one. As weeks have now turned into years, we will soon return there one last time, with a son who is coming up on 5 years cancer free.
All I can say is thank you. Thank you for filling our bellies and our hearts, thank you for becoming our friends when we felt so alone, and thank you for giving us hope when we had none. You will never know just how much you mean to us.”
- Stephanie Carson, IFMB Contributor
What will the Ronald McDonald Room be?
The Ronald McDonald Room at EIRMC will be a support to those coming from all over the region, as well as, those local to Idaho Falls. The on-site room will be a 2600 square foot facility with four independent bedrooms (each bedroom accommodates one family as there are multiple beds in the room), bathrooms with showers, a community family room with a tv, couches, wi-fi, a full kitchen with dining area, snack pantry, refrigerator to store food, and oven/stove/ microwave if a family wants to prepare their own meals. These services will be so important for those families that cannot easily return home AND for those who need a nap and meal to recharge as they spend time devoted to their children in pediatric care.
All Ronald McDonald House Charities facilities are free to families thanks to generous donations and volunteers. The Ronald McDonald Room is currently halfway to its fundraising goal of $700,000. You can support this amazing resource by donating or volunteering. In such a difficult time for families, what a comfort to know that the financial stresses of a hotel or eating out can be put to the wayside. Having a home-like environment full of support so that parents can focus on exactly what matters most is something our whole community can be thankful for.
The impact Ronald McDonald House has on families lasts a lifetime. Mia’s family will continue to support Ronald McDonald Charities as a thank you for all they did during her stay in the hospital.
“My Dad often tells me that the worst moments of his life were the three years that I spent in the hospital as a child, and this is coming from a man who has served in two wars for his country. Nothing he says feels quite as awful as not knowing whether your young child is going to live or die and being helpless in fixing the issue. At the time he was a young enlisted Marine with 4 children, money was extremely tight and I was so young and needed someone with me at all times, but it was hard financially for that to be possible. Ronald McDonald House Charities allowed them the opportunity for my family to spend more time with me than they could have ever afforded on their own because staying at a hotel or getting a separate apartment was definitely not an option at that time. Luckily in my case, we eventually had a happy ending to our story, but my Dad still appreciates all that Ronald McDonald House did for us. With all the kids now grown up and finances obviously improved my Dad donates every single year to the program. He always says that if he can give someone even a small amount of the hope that they offered to him during those troubling times then it’s worth the money.”
- Mia Calderwood, IFMB Contributor
3200 Channing Way
Suite 106
Idaho Falls, ID 83404
