an amazing place

If you're not familiar with the Ronald McDonald House, you need to be. It is an amazing place. Parents and grandparents with babies and kids in the NICU and other special care units get access to their facilities while their kids are in the hospital. For us, it has been a nice place to go to relax in between feeds, to eat, to rest, to refuel on all levels. It's not home, but it's pretty close. It has also been a great place to meet other parents and share stories and encourage one another. The stories I have heard have also been a reminder of how blessed we are. Yesterday, I met a 17 year old who was trying so hard to be strong while her daughter with cerebral palsy was undergoing tests before a possible surgery. I also chatted with 2 moms whose newborns have had or need to have cardiac surgery, one mom whose baby was born at 28 weeks and has been in the hospital for months, and various others. At the house, parents are fed by food brought by volunteers, there are rooms where people can stay the night or take a nap, computers, TV and
magazines to escape for a little and generally, just a relaxing atmosphere without any monitors and the constant noise and worry in the NICU. It's an amazing place.