Dr. appointments - part 1

I've been wanting to post about our recent trips to Shriners and the Neurologist, but I just haven't felt like typing it all out yet.  Writing about experiences is a form of therapy for me.  But, it is also often emotionally taxing, so sometimes I put my "therapy" on the back burner.

But, here I am. Up at 2:50 a.m., with Olivia wearing her helmet and watching Yo Gabba Gabba (Yo Yo Ge-ta, Olivia says). The thunder outside is not nearly as loud, nor does it evoke heart palpitations quite like the sound of my girl's head slamming against the floor.  If we're up, I might as well do something productive.

Last Thursday, we had an appointment at Shriners to see their geneticist group.  The appointment was at 7:30 a.m. and Greenville is almost three hours away, so we had our wonderful nurse, Jeannie, call the Ronald McDonald House to see if they had a room available for the night.  They did, so Brian, O, and I drove down Wednesday evening.

The RMH rocks. Seriously. We were in awe. This was our first visit to a RMH, so we weren't sure what to expect. Now we know. You can expect a home-away-from-home. The kitchen had a stocked pantry and a counter full with a dinner spread of spiral ham and fixings (dinner is donated every night). There was a great living room area and a playroom filled to the brim with toys. The on-site manager pointed out details like the baskets of toiletries in the laundry room, a shelving unit filled with donated items (at first glance, I saw clothing items and toys) that were there for the taking, our personal storage cabinet in the kitchen for our own food items, and the backyard play area.  Olivia was given a stuffed animal as a welcoming present and we headed to our room.

The room had a queen bed and a twin bed, a full bathroom with a large tub/shower, and was designed to be very comfortable.  The manager said that the room had just been renovated in November.  A couple sponsored the renovations and there was a picture of them framed on a shelf in the room.  They had painted, furnished and decorated the room from top to bottom.  They even installed bead board in the bathroom, adding to the cottage-like feel of the space.

(Note: Had to take a 2 hour break from posting as there was a tornado warning for our town. Woke up Brian and Jake, tracked the path of the storm (it didn't hit near us), and now that the adrenaline rush has eased off, my boys have headed back to bed.  My girl is still wide awake, of course.)

So, back to the RMH...  Our room wasn't huge. There weren't luxury sheets on the beds. But, thinking about the amount of compassion it took to build and maintain that house and imagining what it must feel like to have a child hospitalized nearby for a long stay... Well, it sure made the house feel like a 5-star resort.

Brian and I talked about how this experience has made us want to find ways to support the RMH charity.  I looked online to see if there was a house near us and there is one opening this month in Charlotte. I'm sure we can donate money or get involved with a fundraiser, but we're hoping to help in more personal ways, too, if we can.  Maybe we can take dinner or provide toys for the children.

Since we didn't check in until late Wednesday evening and we were gone by 7:00 the next morning, we didn't get to savor all that the house offers to families.  But, we are so thankful that places like the RMH exists. Besides the $8 a night cost to families, there is a level of compassion and love that is absolutely priceless.

to be continued...