When Isabella was seven, what started as a simple flu turned into a nightmare no parent ever expects. After she failed to get better, doctors ordered blood tests – and within hours of getting the results, Isabella and her mom Karlee were airlifted to BC Children’s Hospital. Her father Brent and older sister Gabriella began the long eight-hour drive from Nakusp, unsure of what they would find when they arrived.
In Vancouver, Isabella was diagnosed with Wilms Tumor, a rare kidney cancer. The road ahead would be long, uncertain, and exhausting. For 202 nights, their lives would be centered around hospitals and treatments.
During this time, Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon was a place to stay together and so much more. Shared kitchens became gathering places with other families who understood both their fears and their tiny victories. “We’re all healing together,” says Karlee. “We’re all figuring things out together. We talk like a family. Our friends and family back home can support us as best they can, but the only people who truly understand are the ones under this roof.”
Looking back, the Cook family believes that their stay at Ronald McDonald House was an essential part of the healing process: “There have been some dark days, but no matter what, this place has always been bright. The hospital is where the medicine happens and I feel like this is where the healing happens.”
