Fa m ily P rof i l e :
The Family of
Asher Umstead Home: Camdenton, MO (Camden County) Due to severe complications during pregnancy, our son was delivered via C-section at 37 weeks at Lennon Mercy Hospital. Approximately 1.5 hours after birth, Asher had turned a blue-grey color and couldn’t breathe. They put him in an incubator for the next few hours while we waited for an ambulance to come transfer him to Springfield Mercy. Asher had a heart murmur, underdeveloped lungs and had swallowed fluid during the C-section delivery. He fought an infection in his lungs and was on antibiotics for 7 days. He started off on a full oxygen bubble helmet, and they stepped down the need for oxygen as he gradually got better. He was on a feeding tube for 10 days as well. We spent 14 days at the NICU in Springfield and were approved for a room at the Ronald McDonald House inside of Mercy Hospital. As a recovering mom, the room, laundry room, hot meals and “home away from home” of the Ronald McDonald House saved us from being over-stressed about needing the comforts of home and allowed us to not miss the everyday moments with Asher. We so appreciated the helpful and caring staff members and all the volunteers that provided dinners. We had donated our change to Ronald McDonald House Charities at the McDonald’s drive-thru before, and now we share our story to help other families continue to receive the much-needed help that we were lucky enough to receive when we needed it most. Now we donate every time we go to McDonald’s and encourage anyone to do the same. God bless the Ronald McDonald House.
www.ShareAHeart.org