The Churches: The Best Medicine

Crystal Church is a mom to five wonderful kids. So when seven-year-old Charles Jr. woke up feeling a little under the weather, she knew the drill: rest and fluids.

With her husband, Charles, away on a job in Colorado, she was managing the household solo in Hereford, Arizona.

Running low on Gatorade, which Charles Jr. had requested, Crystal dashed to the store.  On her way home, she got a call from her eleven-year-old daughter, Mikayla.

“She was saying that she thinks he’s having a seizure. I booked it home. I think I made a five-minute trip in a minute and a half. When I got to the house, he was barely breathing. It was the saddest, scariest feeling ever.”

Paramedics rushed Charles Jr. to a local hospital in Sierra Vista, but his condition was serious, requiring specialized care. So, off he went in a helicopter to Banner Children’s Hospital.

After getting her kids settled with their grandfather, Crystal started the two-hour drive to Tucson. “I was just trying to stay positive on the entire drive. It was absolutely terrifying.”

She arrived around 3:00 a.m. and learned that Charles Jr. was diagnosed with viral encephalitis. A doctor recommended that Crystal stay at the Ronald McDonald House down the road.

“The bed was a blessing after sleeping on a couch for two nights,” said Crystal. Then she learned that her other kids could join her at the House. “That afternoon I went down to Hereford and brought them up.”

Charles Sr., back from Colorado, was able to join them, too.

“It was really nice to be able to have everybody close by. I could do my best to be at the hospital with Charles Jr. and also be with everyone else.”

Soon Charles Jr. started feeling better. He was able to leave his room and walk down the hall to the hospital cafeteria. There, his family would join him with board games and sweets from the Ronald McDonald House. It was the best medicine.

After three weeks in the hospital, they received amazing news.

“The doctor told me that he made a statistically miraculous recovery. Eighty-percent of kids who survive encephalitis have severe permanent brain damage. He has no signs of any at all.”

Once Charles Jr. was back home, the hospital stay was forgotten, but he couldn’t wait to tell all his friends about his midnight helicopter ride.

The Two Moons: A Heart for Austin

Lynette Two Moons was first introduced to the Ronald McDonald House when she was around 10 years old. Her auntie had welcomed a son and he had to stay in the hospital a little longer than usual. During that time, she, her auntie and her grandma stayed at a Ronald McDonald House in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

“This was the very first time we ever heard about the Ronald McDonald House,” said Lynette. “This had to be in the 1980s sometime. It was awesome because me and my grandma got to stay there. Everything that they do now they also did there. Anything we needed they were able to help assist us with it.”

But she never imagined that she would return to the Ronald McDonald House many years later with her own son, Austin.

In 2013 while living in Elfrida, she and her husband, Brian, were expecting baby number five. The doctor noticed signs of slow development three months in, but they largely resolved. Then Lynette’s water broke early when she was just shy of seven months.

“I went in expecting to have a baby,” she recalls. “Turns out there were complications with his heart so they flew us to the children’s hospital in Aroura, Colorado, to see a pediatric heart specialist. From there I was on bed rest for as long as they could keep me on bed rest.”

When a social worker suggested Brian stay at a Ronald McDonald House down the street, Lynette immediately remembered how helpful everyone was at the House when she was a little girl. She knew it would be a calm and soothing place for her family – just like home.

Austin was born nearly two months later and before he was even a day old, he had been through open-heart surgery. A pacemaker was inserted. He had a long road ahead of him.

“It was scary for all of us just for the fact that we knew he had this odd piece of metal helping his heart beat,” said Lynette. “But bittersweet because he was alive and able to be home with us. It built a stronger bond between our family.”

It would be another two months before Austin went home to Elfrida. Then when he was two years old, his heart started to swell. His primary care physician said to take him to Diamond Children’s Medical Center right away. Lynette packed up their things and made the two-hour drive to Tucson.

After many tests, Austin’s doctors discovered that the procedure he had as a baby had reversed. “Another hole had formed and surgery wasn’t going to fix it,” remembered mom. “So, they started preparing us for hospice care.”

Like Austin, his family was heartbroken.

“We were preparing for the worst. But the doctors decided to see if he would be eligible for a transplant. After a day, we were blessed, and they told us the good news that he was eligible. So they transferred us to Phoenix Children’s Hospital where Austin would wait for his heart.”

For the next five and a half months, Lynette once again found a “home-away-from-home” at a Ronald McDonald House close to her son. Then his heart transplant came through.

“We grew so much closer during Austin’s hospitalization,” Lynette said. “Just being able to grow in faith and be there for each other. And to know that life is precious and that we need each other to keep moving forward and growing.”

Now 9 years old, Austin’s heart doesn’t slow him down. “He’s a hyperactive little dude,” Brian said. “He loves volleyball, basketball, soccer. He’s a kid, so he doesn’t think much about his heart, but I think about it and pray about it every morning.”

Because Austin’s heart makes him more susceptible to infections, they need to travel to Tucson for specialized dental care and to Phoenix for cardiology check-ups.

In both cities, Austin and his family know that they always have a place to call home at the Ronald McDonald House.

The Woolleys: Double Trouble

On July 11, mom Kahlyn went to the doctor for her 28-week growth scan of her twin boys. Logan had always measured smaller than Emmett. But at this particular appointment, Logan was nearly half his brother’s size. It was a dangerous situation for everyone.

“I was very, very scared,” remembered Kahlyn. “I kept asking myself, ‘Where do we go from here?’”

Her doctor sent her to a specialist at Northwest Medical Center, an hour and a half from home in Fort Huachuca. She underwent an emergency C-section later that day with her husband, Jeremy, at her side. The twins were swiftly rushed to the newborn intensive care unit where they were hooked up to more beeping machines than any parent would care to imagine.

“Thankfully our older kids, Asher and Ari, were visiting their grandparents in Kansas City at the time. That was a godsend, really.” Kahlyn and Jeremy spent the first few days at the hospital while Kahlyn recovered from the surgery. Then a social worker suggested they check in to the Ronald McDonald House.

The House had everything Kahlyn needed to care for her entire family. A place to do laundry, a place to gather together and a place for her kids to play when they returned from their grandparents. She even met a community of parents who understood what her family was going through – something that proved vital when her husband had to return to work on the base.

“You don’t feel alone because there’s always somebody to talk to,” said Kahlyn. “We met a family that has twins at TMC that were born at 27 weeks. It was really nice to sit down with them and have dinner with people who knew the boat that I was in.”

Your donations to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern Arizona make life a little easier for families like Logan and Emmett’s. Thank you.

The Wells-McFates: Seeing Things Again for the First Time

“My favorite part about being a dad is living through my kids. Seeing things again for the first time through their eyes. Watching them learn and explore.”

Will Wells is the father of three incredible children: Sayler (7), Legend (5) and little Willow (11 months). He and his wife, Joyce, were introduced to the Ronald McDonald House after Willow was born without her right pulmonary artery. This meant that her body wasn’t getting the oxygen it needed.

“It was a complete surprise.”

Willow would need specialized care at a hospital in Tucson, nearly an hour from their home in Benson. They worried about how they would care for her while also caring for her siblings at home. That’s when a nurse suggested they reach out to the Ronald McDonald House.

“The Ronald McDonald House is our safe haven. I’m not sure how else to put it,” said Will. “Being here gives me the freedom to get back down to ground level without worrying about her health and my work. It’s our home-away-from-home.”

Best of all, Willow’s siblings could stay at the House, too. At just 25 days old, Willow underwent surgery to have a stent placed to help her blood reach her lungs. But it wasn’t a permanent solution.

Willow’s family stayed at the Tucson Ronald McDonald House for a month and a half while she recovered from her initial surgeries. Then they received the news that doctors in Phoenix could build her a new artery. She needed to travel up there as soon as possible to start the process.

“We couldn’t get into the Phoenix House right away, so the Tucson House Manager got us a hotel for the first two nights until we could get off the waiting list. They were truly there for us when we couldn’t be there for ourselves.”

Willow’s surgery went well, and she was home with her entire family before she knew it.

She turns one in a few weeks and she’s still doing great. She’s smiley and adventurous and loves to play with her two older siblings. Her heart condition means she’ll have more surgeries as she grows, but her family now knows they will always have someplace like home when they need it.

The Russells: A Note from a New Mom

My name is Kaileen and I’m a new mom from Marana. I’ve volunteered at the Ronald McDonald House for years alongside my mom and her coworkers from TEP. We would cook meals for families as part of the Chef for a Day program.

But my husband and I didn’t think that we could find ourselves at the other end of the dinner table.

In March, during my third trimester, I started experiencing concerning symptoms. I was diagnosed with preeclampsia and three days later, I went into preterm labor. After several hours with no progress, I was rushed into surgery for an emergency C-section.

At first, baby Statler wasn’t breathing, but the doctors were able to bring him back. He needed a lot of care in the NICU. I was a mess when I was discharged without him.

We live an hour from the hospital and were wondering how to make it work. We’d do anything for him. We even considered sleeping in our truck. Then our doctor recommended the Ronald McDonald House.

Of course. Why didn’t we think of that? We called the House and explained our situation. Keys were waiting for us that very same night.

They’ve thought of everything at the House. There’s a lactation room with everything I needed to pump milk for Statler and keep him fed. We didn’t have to worry about cooking dinner. We met other families that know what we’re going through because they’re going through it, too. It felt like home.

We’ve been here a month and Statler is doing great! He gained 5 pounds, and his doctors gave him a clean bill of health. We’re very excited to celebrate our first holiday, and my first Mother’s Day, together at home.

Words can’t express how grateful we are to you and your support of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern Arizona. You made it possible for us to be close to Statler while he got the care he needed. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

With lots of gratitude,
Kaileen Russell
Statler’s Mom, 27 nights

The Scarbroughs: “We got this.”

Maraena and Henry met in the Army. They fell in love and married soon after. “We wanted to start a family right off the bat, pretty much. We got pregnant with twins originally,” remembered Maraena. “Be we miscarried in our second trimester.” It was devastating but they wanted to keep trying.

They felt blessed when baby Ireland was born a year later. They wanted kids close together so they started planning for baby number two right away. Henry said, “We wanted them close in age, so they could be friends growing up.”

Like most parents, they were excited about everything to come. They started decorating the new baby’s room and planning how to celebrate Ireland’s first birthday. But they never expected that Maraena would go into preterm labor on Ireland’s birthday.

It was too early to deliver her baby, so they rushed to Tucson from Sierra Vista. They would be cared for at Tucson Medical Center, which has one of only two Level III NICUs in Southern Arizona. The doctors kept her in the hospital hoping to delay delivery as long as possible.

“Henry was driving back and forth between Sierra Vista and the hospital to be with me. And I was kind of an emotional mess because I couldn’t see Ireland. It was horrible,” said Maraena.

That’s when a nurse asked if they knew about the Ronald McDonald House, which offers a “home-away-from-home” for all families with a child who needs medical care – including those experiencing high-risk pregnancies like Maraena’s. They could stay at the Ronald McDonald House as long as they needed to, and at no charge to them.

“It was a huge blessing. A huge, huge blessing,” said Maraena. “Both of us had no idea about the Ronald McDonald House until we needed it.

“The first week I was stuck in the hospital and I could only see Ireland once or twice a day for 5 or 10 minutes. I had never left her for a moment before. It was a shock to my system.”

The Ronald McDonald House offered everything they needed for a comfortable stay: a calming bedroom, a kitchen that was always stocked with homemade meals, and a playroom for Ireland.

And it was available for them because of YOU. Your gift is always used locally, supporting our families here in Southern Arizona. Please consider making another gift today.

“The House lets you focus on what’s really important – your family and the health of your child,” said Henry.

For nearly five weeks, Maraena experienced labor-like symptoms. Then, early one morning, Maraena felt something change. And because they were staying at the Ronald McDonald House, Maraena and Henry were at the hospital in just minutes. Baby Adeline was born later that morning at 36 weeks and 6 days.

Her blood sugar was a little low, so the nurses admitted her to the NICU for monitoring. “Once we realized she wasn’t ready to come home with us, it was that much more comforting knowing that we were at least close by at the Ronald McDonald House and able to visit her,” remembered Henry.

When Adeline was discharged, the whole family spent their first night together at the Ronald McDonald House so they could drive home to Sierra Vista the next morning on a full night’s rest. Maraena said, “When you get home, you realize how much the Ronald McDonald House provided. But you’re in a better place mentally, so you’re like, ‘We got this.’”
 

When you donate to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern Arizona, you provide a “home-away-from-home” for families like the Scarbroughs AND your gift may be eligible for a dollar-for-dollar tax credit on your Arizona State taxes.