Why I Support RMHC

If you’ve been following us for awhile, you know that Charlie had heart surgery as a baby. If you’re new here – my now 6 year old, Charlie, had heart surgery when he was 7 weeks old. I’ve shared a lot about our journey and we shared our updates here on the blog. He’s thriving and you’d never know anything was wrong with him. It’s pretty much every heart parent’s dream.

Of course, that week that he was at AI Dupont Children’s Hospital in Wilmington, DE was a blur and I remember it exactly at the same time if that makes sense.

The night before Charlie’s surgery, we went to the Ronald McDonald House that is located right across the street from the hospital. We’re only about 30 minutes away from the hospital, but we wanted to make our 6 AM check-in go a bit smoother and make sure we were there and ready.

During Charlie’s stay, at just 7 weeks, we were able to go into the “Toy Closet” and pick out something special for our little man. We grabbed a cool recycling truck that we knew he would someday love. It’s been almost 6 and a half years since we received that toy, but it’s still in the playroom for the boys to play with and it honestly brings me so much joy when I see it. They have no idea what it means, but I tell them often that Charlie got that toy the night before he had his heart fixed. It’s something so small and insignificant, but means so much.

Tom and I actually kept our room at the Ronald McDonald House for 3-4 nights because we were not sure how the rooming situation was at the hospital. We were lucky enough to be able to stay in a room in the cardiac unit while Charlie was still in CICU. Even while we had a room in the hospital, it was nice to have the option of the Ronald McDonald House. We went over one evening for dinner, which is such a blessing. The Ronald McDonald House has more of a hotel/home feel instead of a hospital. When your kid is sick and you’re stuck in a hospital, you need a sense of normalcy and home, while still being just a few minutes from the hospital.

WHAT IS RMHC?

Through the Ronald McDonald House and Ronald McDonald Family Room programs, RMHC provides places for families with sick children to stay just steps from the hospitals where they are receiving critical medical care.

In 2016, RMHC provided 2.4 million overnight stays to families. In doing so, families were able to spend more time with their sick children, interact with their doctors, and make important decisions about their children’s care.

Who wouldn’t want to support Ronald McDonald House Charities and the amazing comfort and support they are able to give to families of sick kids?

HOW WE’RE HELPING

We’re doing a yard sale!

A quick look around our house and you’ll see that we simply have too much stuff. Well, we’re putting that yard sale pile to work for RMHC. And no, we’re not donating those items to them.

Look around your house. I know there are items in the house you just don’t use and don’t need.

A yard sale is a fantastic fundraiser. And not just your stuff! Ask friends and family to get rid of their stuff too! Everyone has things around their house that are just collecting dust that they’ve been meaning to get rid of. What better opportunity to do so than a fundraiser?

Of course, we’ll be using social media to promote the event and telling people why we’re raising funds – for RMHC!

The more people that know about the event, the more likely they’ll be to show up and support the fundraiser!

HOW YOU CAN HELP RMHC

Starting a fundraiser is simple and gives the fundraiser the freedom to do whatever it is they love to do to in order to help RMHC reach our goal of providing 12,500 more overnight stays to families of sick children this year.

Don’t want to host a yard sale? We have more great ideas!