On the day she was born, baby Mabel needed to fly to from Smithers to Vancouver for urgent care at BC Children’s Hospital, where she stayed for 33 nights. Since then, the Miller family has stayed four different times for several different surgeries and procedures, some of them unexpected.
Thinking back to their first stay, mom Susan remembers disorientation and uncertainty. They were sleeping in the hospital, waking up to the sound of crying babies and hospital noise. They didn’t know where to turn, but as soon as they took the tour of Ronald McDonald House, they felt relief. “We could rest!” remembers Susan. “Physical rest is so important. We were able to take care of ourselves better.” Programs like Family Meals helped the Millers take care of their basic needs so that they could better focus on Mabel.
They also took comfort in seeing families who were experiencing medical challenges and yet still having fun with their kids. “The most important part of Ronald McDonald House for us was how it normalized our experience,” says Susan. “It can feel very isolating to be a medical parent, but here there are people who have been where we’ve been. You see a little girl pushing a toy shopping cart with her oxygen tank in it, and it’s so cute and normal. You can walk in with your baby who has a feeding tube, and no one asks questions. It’s so lovely to have this situation where they embrace your family as you are.”
As Mabel continues to grow stronger, the Millers want to do all they can to spread the word about Ronald McDonald House and the difference it makes to families like theirs. “This the only place in BC that we can get her care, and it’s really important to have consistency, familiarity, and a home away from home when you have such an unpredictable journey. It’s the best place to be when you don’t want to be there.”
