Family Profile
Evatt Family Home: Ozark, MO
(Christian County)
On January 28th,
we had our first child, Emberly Grace Evatt. She was 7 pounds 4 ounces, and what seemed to be a normal birth from a healthy pregnancy. Several hours after birth she started having low vitals and was being monitored by staff when they quickly became worse. She was sent to the nursery at Cox Branson for observation, but she continued to get increasingly worse. It was determined that Emberly needed to be transferred to the NICU at Cox South in Springfield. As a new mother who thought her child was healthy, I was in shock and confused about why this was happening. Emberly was transported in the baby buggy, and I met her at the NICU; this was heartbreaking. Seeing my child be transported in a “spaceship�, I remember thinking that I may not see her alive again when they walked away with her. This story gets better. We arrived in Springfield from Branson and were welcomed by the staff, when I realized I had no place to stay other than an uncomfortable couch, and after giving birth, that was hard. I had to shower in the community shower and could not walk down the hall without a wheelchair. I needed help. We met with the social worker the next day and were provided the opportunity to stay at the Ronald McDonald House. I remember getting checked in, getting to set up our room, and it felt strange, being away from Emberly for the first time. But that evening, I had my first hot meal and felt like eating. We had gone through so much trauma within the last few days, and I still remember eating the meal Ronald McDonald House provided. I had a sense of warmth and comfort that I am okay, my child is alive, she will get better, and we will be able to take her home. Without the support of the Ronald McDonald House, this would have been much harder. As a family, we needed this. We had a place to be ourselves and take care of ourselves, knowing the staff had our baby, and we could sleep and get the rest and food we needed. Thank you, RMHC, for providing a sense of home and stability to get through our trying time. The work of RMHC does not go unnoticed, and we are thankful for their willingness to help us and families like ours.
#forRMHCozarks
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