After seven months in Iraq, Major Bill Marlowe expected to go home to North Carolina to meet his youngest child, Madelynn, who had been born while he was deployed.
Instead, he was told to go to Buffalo, where the three-month-old girl was hospitalized in stable but critical condition with an infection that caused serious breathing problems.
As the family faced spending Christmas away from home with three small children, including one who was very ill, the Ronald McDonald House was there for them.
“I don’t know how I ever would have done it without the House,” said Sabrina, Madelynn’s mother.
Sabrina and the children had come to Western New York for Thanksgiving and had been staying with her parents in Elma. Unfortunately, it is a 45-minute drive from Elma to the hospital in good weather, and there was heavy snow during that time. Bill and Sabrina decided to stay at the Ronald McDonald House.
“It was a five-minute drive to the hospital,” Sabrina explained. “It was nice because we could come to the House, take a nap or shower, and hurry back to the hospital.”
Sabrina and Bill appreciated that volunteers made dinner for the families, and that they could make coffee and pack a lunch for themselves for the long days at the hospital.
While the parents didn’t want to leave the side of their sick baby, they had another compelling obligation. Bill hadn’t seen the other children, Hannah, 4, and Liam, 3, for seven months.
“That was pulling at our hearts,” Sabrina said. “They wanted to be with Daddy, and Daddy wanted to be with them— and he wanted to be with Maddy in the hospital.”
Relatives brought Hannah and Liam to the House during the day to spend time with Bill, where they could have fun together in the playroom.
Hannah and Liam also spent several nights at the House to reconnect with their father. Having an adjoining room for the children was great because they could be close. But unlike a hotel where the whole family would share one room, having a separate room for the children made it easier to get them to sleep.
“The Ronald McDonald House feels like a home,” Sabrina said.
As the days wore on, it became clear that the family wouldn’t be home in time for Christmas.
“Still, it turned out wonderful because of the Ronald McDonald House,” Sabrina said.
The House was decorated for the holidays, and there were treats such as Christmas cookies for the kids. On Christmas, the family was surprised to find that the Ronald McDonald staff had arranged for Santa to leave some special gifts outside their room!
“We made friends at the Ronald McDonald House,” Sabrina said. “I want people to know how appreciative we are for the support, the hugs and the friendship we found there.”