My youngest son Bentley was just ten days away from being born when his older sister, Paizley, was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome, a rare kidney disorder. Just as we were about to welcome a new baby into the world, our family’s life was turned upside down.
After Bentley was born, genetic testing revealed that Paizley’s condition was congenital. We didn’t even need to speak with a doctor — we knew that our son would fight the same fight as his sister and that our family would have a long medical journey ahead.
For years, Paizley and Bentley’s treatments meant spending long, exhausting days at our local
hospital in Grande Prairie — six hours a day, several days a week. I did everything in my power to keep our family at home and to manage the disease on our own terms — even learning to administer their treatments myself — but we knew it was only a matter of time before the kids’ kidneys would fail.
Then that dreaded day came. Paizley went into kidney failure. In a matter of hours, we had to uproot our lives and move over four hours away to Edmonton for treatment — with no idea of how long we would be there or where we would stay. All we knew was that our child needed help, and we had to be there.
Thankfully, a hospital staff member suggested we get in touch with Ronald McDonald House®. At first, I didn’t know what to expect, but looking back now, I genuinely can’t imagine what we would have done had we not been able to stay at the House in Edmonton. It was like home, instantly. Everyone was so welcoming, our room was open and inviting, and the services offered — like coming home to a hot meal after a long day at the hospital — helped take away so much of our stress.
During our nearly two-year stay at Ronald McDonald House, we joined an incredible community.
Having other families there who are going through the same things you are is such a great help, and we all support each other without even being asked. To this day, I often speak with the friends we made during our time there, those connections are forever.
The Ronald McDonald House in Edmonton gave our children a true feeling of community and the chance to just be kids. Our family has even celebrated four Christmases there, and I can tell you that volunteers and staff do everything they can to make the holidays magical. Seeing the look of joy and excitement on our children’s faces as they sang with carolers and decorated the tree brought a sense of normalcy — and more importantly, the gift of hope and comfort during a very difficult time.
We aren’t staying at the Ronald McDonald House regularly now, but for our family it will always be a second home. Every time we’re in the city, whether it’s for a medical appointment or we’re just passing through, the kids insist that we drop by to visit our Ronald McDonald House family.
Our journey has been anything but easy, and we have a long way to go. I truly don’t know how we could have made it this far without Ronald McDonald House Alberta. When someone asked me recently to describe our experience there, I realized the only word that fit was: life-saving.