Swift Current,
Saskatchewan
23 Nights
Stayed
Evan is a 6-year-old firecracker with an amazing heart and eyes that tells you a million stories. He was diagnosed with Autism at 2 and epilepsy a short time after. Leading up to the diagnosis we had a hard time finding help for him. After a hospitalization, we finally started on a path of getting answers. Many ups and downs, trial and error with epilepsy medications, and finding answers.
We have to travel to Saskatoon for Evan to receive medical care from his pediatric Neurologist and for any tests/procedures. He has had surgery at Jim Pattison’s Children’s Hospital that Ronald McDonald House Saskatchewan helps us get through. He also sees pediatric OT in Saskatoon on a regular basis. We are thankful for an amazing medical team for Evan, who are a phone call away when we need them and care for Evan with such amazing hearts. When your Neurologist gets on the hospital floor to play Sonic cars with you, you know you got the best!
Ronald McDonald House Saskatchewan has been such a blessing to us, having a place to stay while there for multiple appointments, or when Evan has been hospitalized in JPCH, a place the other parent could go rest, or shower or grab a meal. Receiving a meal when your kid is in the hospital and you can’t leave the room means a lot!! The staff and volunteers are such a big part of our story. We get to share stories and relate with each having different stories, yet we connect and understand on the same level. When you walk into your room feeling a little stressed or overwhelmed and seeing a stuffy on the bed for your kiddo, grabbing a coffee in the kitchen cause coffee always is on (thank you coffee and Ronald McDonald House for getting it), having a fenced in area to play outside and get resh air, or BBQ supper.
I can ramble on and on if given the opportunity, but I will leave you with this, when your kid needs any type of medical treatment, it adds an element to your life, it adds stress, there is a layer to you only other medical parents understand. To have a place to go, that gives you a space to lay your head down, have a hot meal that you didn’t have to cook or think about, bond with people you now call friends, let the kids run just be kids in the play room or at KidsCare, being given opportunities to have an outing, to have a coffee we all know caffeine is a much need in this world, and to have it so close to the children’s hospital, that is something that you will forever be grateful and thankful for. It lets you take a deep breath, cause your home away from home. Thank you for taking a load of stress off when stress can be so overwhelming.
