Supporting Parents in Need
For so many, becoming a parent is one of the most joyous events that a person can experience. The first few days in the hospital (or at home) can be such a happy time for new parents to bond with their newborn. Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon that your newborn may become sick, and that illness may require them to be admitted into the hospital, and even the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). When this happens a parent can be overwhelmed with fear, stress, anxiety, and any other possible emotion. But there is a place that can help parents through this traumatic time. The place is the Ronald McDonald House and my husband, Mike and I are grateful supporters of this organization.
Two of our children were born prematurely, and were both admitted into the NICU at Fairview Hospital in Cleveland, Ohio, thankfully for only short periods of time. On each occasion, we experienced firsthand the support and peace of mind that the NICU and Ronald McDonald House provided. What you might not realize is when a newborn is admitted to the NICU, it is an emergency which means the parents have not planned for this additional stay. If you do not have family in the area or do not live close to the hospital, you may find yourself sleeping in a chair and trying to clean yourself up in a public bathroom.
The Ronald McDonald House at Fairview provides two private rooms along with a living room, kitchen and private bathroom with access to a shower. This is a godsend when you are wanting to be with your baby but also need a place to recharge without having to leave the hospital. They also provide snacks and beverages in the kitchen, computer access with wireless internet, and small toys and games for young guests. Being able to stay in the hospital with our babies while also getting rest and peace, away from the chaos of the rest of the hospital, helped us immeasurably.
Another unforgettable part of our experiences at Fairview’s NICU were all the “little things” that were provided to us. The staff’s consideration was truly eye-opening and left us feeling extremely appreciative to have such world-class facilities so close to home. As soon-to-be parents, we bought our ‘going home’ outfits and were planning to dress our children in their cute onesies, etc. for their first pictures leaving the hospital, as many parents do. But because our children were born prematurely, we realized that the clothes we had would not fit ‘preemie’ babies.
While we were lucky to have family in the area who did their best to find the right size clothing, Mike and I realized that preemie clothes are not easy to find in just any store. Luckily the NICU had a few items they provided free of charge, but they had run out of other items. Without the help of our families we might have been in trouble. And because of that Mike and I realized that we want to support the NICU and Ronald McDonald House to help give back to these organizations that helped us during such a scary time in our lives.
With that, we wanted to let our dear clients know about a collection we will be hosting all year in our office. We will be collecting items for the NICU at Fairview Hospital in Cleveland and the Ronald McDonald Family Room, also at Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital. If you are able and want to support, stop by our office in Rocky River and drop off any of the following items:
Items for the NICU
All items will need to be new, with tags
Clothing - preemie and newborn sizes - onesies and footie PJs are especially appreciated
Halo fleece swaddlers - https://www.halosleep.com/micro-fleece/
Ronald McDonald House
At the Ronald McDonald House we use gift cards to retailers for purchasing household supplies and perishable items that we need regularly. The benefit of gift cards is it gives us the flexibility to use them on an as-needed basis. We also can use gift cards to treat our guests on special occasions and celebrations such as birthdays and holidays. Please see the list below for gift cards we can use in northeast Ohio.
Amazon
Costco
Dave’s Supermarket
Gas cards
Giant Eagle
Heinen’s
Home Depot
Lowe’s
Rite-Aid
Target
Trader Joe’s
Walmart
Local restaurants around Cleveland
You can also check out this wishlist from the Ronald McDonald House for additional guidance!
Mike and I are blessed with healthy, happy children and the resources to support them, and we want to give back to those who helped us through such a scary time in our lives. If you want to help too, thank you! Anything you can do is greatly appreciated.