We stayed at the Ronald McDonald house for 20 days. We had our own room, very much like a hotel room but the rest of the house we shared with everyone, such as the main sitting areas, kitchen and playrooms. The first few days we kept to ourselves. When John was at the hospital, Cassidy and I would play outside or watch TV. During the day the house was always quiet. One of the requirements of guests was that they spend a minimum of 6 hours at the hospital caring for their child daily. This was to ensure that they weren't taking advantage of the house and using it as a vacation and neglecting their sick child. There were others around during the day however, and it didn't take long for us to start making friends.
We were the only family staying at the house who was there for a happy reason. When we were going over everything with the staff, they mentioned how they adoptive families were their favorites. I quickly learned why. As I got to know other parents, we obviously first talked about our kids and why we were at the house. Their stories were heartbreaking. More then once after visiting with other moms I would go up to my room and cry for them. I couldn't believe the things they were having to endure. It was unimaginable to me and I felt guilty that we were there under such happy circumstances. I mean, yes, Aviannah was in the hospital but she was healthy and just needed a bit of extra care before she was ready to face the world. Her situation didn't even compare to the hell that these other families were going through.
I especially got to know two moms really well. I think about them often and I very much regret not getting any contact information from them. The one mom was there with her husband and their 11 year old daughter. Her 19 year old step-daughter, her husband's daughter, lived in a house trailer in Arizona with her new husband and their 10 month old baby girl. One day, without warning, their trailer exploded. They all survived, but were all hurt terribly. The baby was burnt quite badly and all of her fingers were either completely gone or partially gone. The husband and baby stayed in Arizona in a hospital there, and the wife had to be airlifted to Las Vegas because her burns were so much worse. Her whole body was burnt. The only place that wasn't was the top of her head. They were mostly 3rd degree and some 2nd. When we got to the house, this girl's parents had been their for a month already and looked to be staying for a few more months at least. I got to know this girl's stepmom really well and I was just devastated for them. The story goes so much deeper then what I've said here and I think about them everyday.
Another mom I got to know well was there with her 18 month old daughter who has leukaemia. Her daughter is actually a twin and this lady's husband was back home in Utah with their other daughter, so the family was separated. My heart broke for this little girl. She always looked so sad and the treatments were rough on her. Her mom was exhausted and missed the rest of her family. The day before we left her mom told me that they had gotten some important tests back. The doctors were optimistic that her cancer was digressing and that she might even be able to go home and continue a less rigorous chemo treatment from home. Instead, they learned that her cancer had gotten worse. Instead of going twice a week for chemo she was now going to have to go in 5 days a week, for more invasive treatments that would be harder on her tiny little body. Her chances of survival had dropped drastically. I didn't even know what to say when she told me this. I'm crying right now as I type this. I wonder how she is doing now. I don't even know how I would find out. These girls were miracle babies. Their parents had tried for years to have children, and were eventually blessed with twins. I know that feeling, the feeling of waiting years for your babies. To have that joy replaced by the tragedy of cancer- I can't imagine and it makes me so so angry.
There were so many others we met with equally heartbreaking stories. I wanted to share these ones with you and ask if you would please pray for these families. And also, would you please, when you have a chance, support the Ronald McDonald Foundation? They have houses across the world and they become home for many families. 20 days is nothing compared to how long some families stay and these houses are their refuge, their safe place. A place where they can, even for a little bit, forget about the hard things they are going through and relax. Meeting these families reminded me of how cruel life can be, and how much we need Jesus. Life is fleeting, and things can change in the blink of an eye. I'm thankful for a God who doesn't change and I know that whatever trials I have yet to face in this life, I won't be facing them alone. I hope we were able to give some of this hope to the families we met.
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