Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Ronald McDonald House 16th-18th June 2009

In June, Jake and I got to spend some one-on-one time together. For any dental work that he needs to have done he has to have a general anaethetic. He needed a filling and some cleaning to be done. His mouth has always been a pretty sensitive area and so I am actually surprised we have gone 8 years without any problems.

His surgery was booked for the 17th June at the Stollery Children’s Hospital and because we would need to stay in the city for 2 nights we got to stay at the Ronald McDonald House in Edmonton.

We went in for his pre-op appointment on the 16th and because the weather was sooo nice and the house was only a mile or so from the hospital we were just able to walk. I have never spent any time on Whyte Ave, but heard a lot about it so it was nice to feel like a city slicker once again.

The house was just beautiful! Jesse and I had stayed at RMH in Australia when Jake was a baby but that one was much smaller and not near as fancy as this one. It only cost us $12 per night and it truly is a home away from home.

The house’s main floor had 2 play areas plus 3 kitchens and a dinning room. There was also a library and a T.V/quiet room. There were 2 upper floors that had bedrooms and a laundry plus some more T.V rooms. There is enough space in the house to accommodate 30 families. In the basement there is a sort of teenage area with a fuse ball table etc. They have a few paid staff, but most of the people there are volunteers. Once a week some Hutterite women come in to bake for the families.

For the past 8 years I must admit for probably seven and a half of them I have wished that Jake was just a regular little boy that could speak and act appropriately in public, use the bathroom, not have to be on medication and cart some clunky communication device around and certainly not have to be admitted for surgery for a simple filling! But if he was just a regular boy we never would have had the amazing experiences that we have and having the privilege to feel the sweet spirit at Ronald McDonald House was one of those times.











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