A Home Away from Home:
The Ronald McDonald House Provides for Families in Times of Trouble.
No family should ever have to experience the pain and uncertainty of caring for a very sick child. And, the mental, spiritual and financial stress that comes from that crisis is its own ordeal. Not only are parents and guardians worried about their loved ones, but giving a child the best possible care can mean uprooting an entire family to a big city for days, weeks or months on end. For those who must, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana( RMHCK) is available to ease their worry during a very trying time.
Located on 1 st Street in downtown Louisville, just a few blocks from Norton Children’ s Hospital, the Ronald McDonald House is strictly for those families in need. The Louisville location is one of more than 300 worldwide.
“ We’ re a home away from home for the families of sick kids,” said Hal Hedley, CEO of RMHCK.“ Families we serve here live outside of Jefferson, Floyd and Clark counties. They come to us when they seek health care in Louisville for their child, whether it’ s a baby who was born prematurely, or a child diagnosed with cancer or in a car accident, or any other number of diagnoses.”
Families are typically referred to the Ronald McDonald House by a physician or health care professional in Louisville. The average length of stay for a guest is about a week, but it varies for every family that walks through the door. Some have come and gone in a night or two. Others stay for weeks or months at a time.
“ I’ ve been in my role for 15 years, and the longest stay I’ ve seen in that time was a year and a half,” Hedley recalled.“ Once a family checks to the Ronald McDonald House, they’ re here for as long as they need us. It’ s not like a hotel where you have a check-in and check-out date.”
The building intentionally resembles a home with living spaces, decorations and a cozy atmosphere. Guests at the Ronald McDonald House have meals prepared by volunteers or donated by the community, free laundry facilities and toiletries are on site, and books and movies are available to pass the time.
“ You don’ t see many families around during the day, because they’ re typically at the hospital visiting their children,” Hedley said.“ But it gets busier here in the evenings. Around dinner we see a lot of families coming back. They’ ll eat dinner and catch up with one another. One of the biggest benefits of the House is to be around other families in similar situations. They can interact with one another and form a support system.”
Hedley said working at the Ronald McDonald House is its own reward, as staff gets the opportunity to bond with these families and provide for them in every way possible.
“ We’ re very fortunate here in that most of the situations are either resolved or improved, so families leave with their child healthier than when they arrived,” he said, before acknowledging that not every family has a happy ending.
“ There is the other side too. Other than being in the family
6 VITAL SIGNS Volume 12 • Issue 1