When their daughter Scarlett was born, The Power Family didn’t expect to be back in the hospital a few months later for five weeks. When they walked over to Ronald McDonald House Orange County, they were immediately met with a warm welcome.
"[Scarlett] had a blockage in her intestine and would endure three surgeries in those few short weeks. We lived roughly 75 minutes from the hospital, both had full time jobs, and were raising our son Avery who was only three at the time. We did the back and forth driving and switching shifts overnight at the hospital for only a week when we realized this was an emotional and stressful strain on our everyday life. A nurse on staff at CHOC gave us a pamphlet for Ronald McDonald House Orange County which was right down the street from the hospital. My husband and I had heard of them but didn't really know what they provided for families.
We walked over to the House to see if they had any openings for our family. My husband and I were warmly welcomed and immediately were offered a tour. While seeing all the families currently staying in the house and what RMHOC was all about, I immediately broke down. How many families had no idea this was an option while going through such a traumatic time? I instantly felt stress fall off my shoulders when they told us they could accommodate our family and had a room for us. We no longer had to find a babysitter for our son, he was welcome to stay with us.
Every morning, we would go downstairs for breakfast and sit with families also in the House sharing stories and support of what we were all going through. There were moments of laughter, sadness, tears, hope, and inspiration. Families that all needed and longing for the same thing: support and someone to laugh and cry with that understood the hard time we were all experiencing. The best times were when we would hear a family say they were getting released and able to go home. My family and I would cry with joy in those moments but also cry with feelings of " when will it be our turn"
The support of RMHOC will be something we will never forget. The volunteers who took time out of their lives to feed us, support us and sometimes just cry with us. In an already stressful time for us, we were able to be grateful for RMHOC for providing so much relief and support. It meant the world to us. My husband and I were able to return 1 year later to volunteer to cook breakfast for the entire House. It was the least we could do to say THANK YOU. We were able to talk to the families that were going through the same hard time we had gone through and say, ‘it will be ok.’
[As of 2024,] Scarlett is now 6 years old. Though they fixed the blockage in her intestine, it has caused her chronic Pancreatitis which we have been able to keep under control with medication and yearly checkups. She is now in 1st grade and practically pain free.”
