Fa m ily P rof i l e :
Brett & Amy Sexton Family Home: Kimberling City, MO (Stone County) On Monday, December 5, 2016, while I was 23 weeks pregnant with identical twin boys, I was admitted to the hospital for an emergency surgery called a cerclage to help keep my babies safely inside my womb. All went according to plan until about 12 hours after surgery when the amniotic sac of one of my twins tore, causing my water to break. After this devastating complication, I was placed on very strict hospitalized bed-rest until I would hopefully achieve 34 weeks gestation, though that was highly unlikely. After a few weeks, where each day I remained pregnant was a victory and an answered prayer, my doctors ran a test that indicated that the amniotic sac had most likely sealed over – a very rare and unusual occurrence. After nearly six weeks in the hospital, I was allowed to be discharged to live at the Ronald McDonald House so that I could remain within close proximity to the hospital, as our home was nearly an hour away. The evening I stepped foot into the Ronald McDonald House will be etched into my memory forever. I was overcome with thankfulness that the Lord had brought me thus far, and quite frankly, awestruck by all that was provided to me as a guest of the Ronald McDonald House. I no longer had a horribly uncomfortable hospital bed to live in…I had a soft queen-sized bed AND a cozy recliner in my own room. I walked into my bathroom and wept when I saw my reflection in the mirror – something I hadn’t been able to do in weeks. I looked over at where I was going to be able to use the shower and wept again. Home-cooked meals were provided by gracious people each and every evening (much better food than the hospital’s had been!). Our family, including our 2-year-old daughter and unborn sons, were lavished with gifts not only for Christmas, but also regularly during my eight-week stay at the Ronald McDonald House. The House changed our life, and I don’t know what we would have otherwise done during that immensely stressful time. It not only provided a homey place to stay within close proximity of the hospital, but it also provided my husband and me a place to spend time together as a family with our daughter. Against all odds, the Lord God graciously sustained my pregnancy until I was exactly 36 weeks pregnant – two additional weeks more than the original goal after my water broke. We see this as a testimony of God’s gracious favor on our family and the assurance that He has something wonderful in store for our boys. We are forever indebted to the Ronald McDonald House, and it will forever hold a very dear and special place in our hearts.
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