A home away from home, when it's needed most

Families with sick children experience the most difficult and heart wrenching time of their lives.

Often, this involves multiple trips to the hospital, travelling for treatment, food costs, time away from family and the kind of worry others can't even imagine.

Nothing else is important, whether it be work, bills or self-care. The only thing that matters is the health and well being of your child and family.

Ronald McDonald House Charities Northern Alberta (RMHCNA) is there to help alleviate some of that worry.

They create a home away from home for families who are experiencing the unimaginable, and offer additional support and resources to ensure their only responsibility is to care for their child.

On June 18 RMHCNA held the Lakeland Golf Classic to raise money that will ensure Lakeland families get the help they need when staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Edmonton.

Between sponsorships and participants, $61,000 was raised at the tournament held at the Grand Centre Golf Course.

"Last year alone we saved Lakeland families over $210,000 in hotel and food costs," said Oreen Skiba, manager of development for RMHCNA Lakeland region. "The house has grown tremendously over the years. We now have 32 family suites and each one has its own bathroom. We also have volunteers come in and cook supper daily and a continental breakfast is also provided."

Margaret Bauman of Cold Lake knows first hand how important RMHCNA is. Her daughter Melissa was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 10, she received treatment, experienced a relapse and had a bone marrow transplant. Melissa is now 24 and has been in complete remission for 12 years.

"It was a home and there was support from other families," said Bauman. "I was able to make home cooked meals. It ensured we still had that sense of family and normality."

Being given shelter and meals is one major worry alleviated for those staying at the house. There is a place to go, bond with other parents, shower and decompress.

"We wanted to create a holistic approach to serve families, and everyone is comforted by food. To see families sit around and bond over a meal is magical," said Skiba.

Fourteen years later the Bauman family is still giving back to RMHCNA in any way they can. They often volunteer as a family and find this is a way to support other families who are currently in need of the services offered by the Ronald McDonald House.

Melissa, who is now healthy and grown, still sees the house as a second home, a place that helped shape who she has become.

"By us helping, people get to see that there is a life after and that you can get through it," said Bauman. "We will be forever grateful and Melissa still has a close attachment with the house and its staff. When she graduated university she went to take a picture with the house manager in her graduation dress."

Bauman's youngest daughter Natasha was only three-years-old when her sister was battling leukemia, but she still remembers feeling safe during a time that could have been very upsetting for a child who has been removed from their normal routine.

"To me it felt like home. I always had someone to play with," she said.

The house in Edmonton is a family home and is prepared to not only assist parents, but also other siblings by offering in-house schooling to children who have to stay while their brother or sister is receiving care.

The RMH in Edmonton also cared for 10 families who were displaced by the fires in Fort McMurray. With nowhere to turn, and children with weakened immune systems, the first place they thought of was the Ronald McDonald House. People were placed in offices and other general spaces to ensure they were safe and cared for.

"When I took this job I thought it would be a depressing place to walk into, but it isn't," said Skiba. "There are kids laughing and screaming and there is an air of joy and hope there. One of the biggest strengths is that there are other families there to support you."

If you live over 40 kilometres away from the hospital, you are eligible to utilize the RMH and its services, which also includes a shuttle and day pass program for people who live in Edmonton.

For more information or to donate, please visit their website at www.rmhcna.org.