Hope Away from Home The House Within the Hospital Ronald McDonald House Charities of Huron Valley
Imagine your child has just been diagnosed with a potentially life-threatening illness. Her doctors acknowledge there is not much they or any provider in your town, state, or country can do to help. They explain that the University of Michigan Healthcare System has a specialist at the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan who may be able to do more.
This scenario has been faced by more than 14,500 families over the past 25 years who have arrived at the doorsteps of the Ronald McDonald House of Ann Arbor to lay their heads on our pillows. Dozens come each week. Some travel less than an hour, some hundreds of miles, and others across continents. Their backgrounds and circumstances are vastly different, yet they all have an important connection:
They will do whatever it takes to help their child get well.
At C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, families are focusing on helping their children with frightening, confusing, and even painful treatments and procedures. These in-hospital treatments can last one day, several weeks, or even a year or more. For these families, accommodations near our major medical center may be hard to come by or financially out of reach. Families often sleep in waiting room chairs, on the floor, on lobby benches, or in the car. The Ronald McDonald House offers a hopeful alternative.
A Home Away From Home
The need to travel and stay away from home can be a barrier preventing families from getting the essential care they need for their ill and injured children. The Ronald McDonald House allows families to access specialized medical treatment by providing a place to stay at little or sometimes no cost. By staying at the Ronald McDonald House, parents can also better communicate with their child’s medical team and keep up with complicated treatment plans when needed.
Research shows that families are stronger when they are together, which has been proven to help in a child’s healing process. Families who stay at the Ronald McDonald House are there to support, reassure, and comfort their children. The House is there to support them. Since 1985, the Ronald McDonald House of Ann Arbor has provided a loving home-away-from-home for families undergoing profoundly difficult experiences.