Maureen Reuther was packing to leave Buffalo Children’s Hospital. Three days earlier, she had given birth prematurely to Martha, who weighed only one pound, eight ounces. Martha would remain hospitalized for 76 days, and there were times when it looked as if she wouldn’t live.
Unfortunately, Maureen and her husband, Michael, couldn’t afford a hotel room, so they were preparing to drive 1 ½ hours to their home in Allegany, NY. They thought they would have to make the three-hour round trip every day in order to be with their newborn.
That’s when Maureen was told about the Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo.
“The Ronald McDonald House is a blessing,” Maureen said. ”It’s amazing to us.”
The House is close to the hospital, so they could be near Martha and concentrate on her care.
At the House, “there was nothing to worry about—food, what time we would come in or leave, if we needed a ride—it was absolutely wonderful,” Maureen said.
It also allowed their daughter Courtney, then 4, to be with them as well. The hospital was scary to Courtney, but while one parent was with Martha, the other parent could play in the toy room with Courtney, giving her the attention she needed.
When baby Martha was finally released, she was home with her family for only one week when she had to go back to the hospital for surgery on her eyes, a complication connected to her premature birth. She also has allergies and asthma, and at age 7 had her adenoids removed. In addition, doctors discovered she has only one kidney, and a problem with the remaining kidney may require surgery. These have meant repeated visits to Buffalo and the Ronald McDonald House.
Martha is now a vibrant 15-year-old sophomore at Allegany-Limestone High School. She recently competed in an international swim meet for blind athletes in Colorado, nonchalantly bringing home four gold and two silver medals.
She also recently had to make another trip to Buffalo, this time to have her tonsils removed.
“I’d like to say we’re done with hospital visits now,” Maureen said, “but with Martha, you never know.
“But we know the Ronald McDonald House is there if we need you. It has been a blessing every single time.”

As we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Ronald McDonald House of Buffalo, please use the enclosed envelope to ensure that the House is here for the next generation of families with sick children who need a home away from home.

To pay for just occasional travel home during Martha’s extremely long hospital stay, the Reuthers had to borrow against their 401k. What would they have done without the Ronald McDonald House?

Martha’s family has used the House for 15 of its 25 years. They are grateful to the donors who ensure that it will be there for them in the future.