When the Fernandez family moved to Canada, they were looking for a small town to raise their children – a place where they could feel safe and part of a community. However, when baby Nicholas was still growing inside his mother Marion’s womb, doctors discovered something wasn’t right. His heart, which was meant to take up one-third of his chest had grown too large, taking up half of his chest.
When the family arrived in Vancouver at BC Women’s Hospital, they were told they needed to stay, or they could lose their baby. From that terrifying moment, their lives revolved around hospital monitors, NICU alarms, and an unrelenting hope that their baby would one day come home.
Through it all, Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon was their safe place to stay, from the day Nicholas was born, through each milestone, until he was finally strong enough to be discharged. It wasn’t just the proximity to the hospital that mattered, it was the comfort, the support, and the small moments of care from the friends they made at the House.
“We love the facilities and the close proximity to the hospital. It made life so much easier for us,” says dad Dominic. “Sometimes at 10 p.m., we’d come back, make a small meal, and there was always another family awake — another parent who couldn’t sleep. We’d talk, share stories, and somehow, we didn’t feel so alone.”
Today, Nicholas is walking, running and smiling. The milestones that once felt impossibly far away, for him and for his family, are now part of everyday life – and the Fernandez family remains grateful for their ability to stay together and support each other through all of it.
