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FAMILY PROFILE
Harley Family Home: Ava, MO (Douglas County)
Our stay at the Ronald McDonald House was probably one of the hardest times, physically and
emotionally, that I have endured as a mother. My pregnancy was normal enough, but in March of 2018, a cyst was found on my right ovary and put under close watch. By the middle of May, it had increased in size to the point that our sweet baby was unable to move and our doctor was worried how quickly it was growing, and the damage if it ruptured. Jennings Paul made his debut in late May, almost seven weeks early, as the cyst was now classified as a tumor and weighed over 16 pounds. JP was taken to NICU because he was not developmentally able to suck, swallow and breathe, and relied on a feeding tube. After my stay in the hospital, I was released to the Ronald McDonald House where I could be close to JP, and heal from the delivery and intense surgery to remove the tumor. My husband, Jonathan, and I were absolutely in total disbelief when we opened our door to our room and were greeted with a welcome bag for our family, a recliner, and a REAL bed! The room was comfortable and gave us the solitude we needed to rest and be available to JP, as well as a makeshift home so our other two children could be close too. The House provided us with everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, that we needed. We were able to do laundry, had a fully stocked kitchen to eat whenever we wanted, and a HOT meal every night. The Ronald McDonald House provided not only the stability needed to be close to the hospital and JP for two whole weeks, but also the comfort of not having to stay in a waiting room or a hotel, as we did not have the finances for that! The Harley family will forever be grateful and indebted to the Ronald McDonald House for the hospitality, love, and generosity we experienced while being there.
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