BeneďŹ tting
FAMILY PROFILE
Jonathan Row & Jennifer Dennison Family Home: Lebanon, MO (Laclede County)
In November of 2017, we found out our lives would be forever changed, and we would be adding twins to our family of six! After a few days of trepidation and anxiety, we became excited at what was to come. However, that anxiety soon returned, along with fear and distress over complications. I had a history of preterm labor, advanced maternal age and an incompetent cervix, which caused me to have an emergency cerclage surgery at 20 weeks. On top of this, we were informed that I was carrying monochorionic diamniotic (mono-di) twins. They were identical boys who were in their own amniotic sacs, but shared a placenta. This put them at risk for twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome, where one twin gets more nutrients than the other. Because of all of these risk factors, I was monitored very closely by my amazing doctors and they soon discovered that my blood pressure was becoming high. I was admitted to the hospital on May 30, 2018, just two days past the 31-week mark, with high blood pressure and protein in my urine. Our goal was to make it to 34 weeks, but, I developed severe pre-eclampsia and HELLP syndrome, and our beautiful, sweet boys were delivered via emergency caesarean on June 2nd. We knew we were facing many challenges and possibly several months in the NICU, but the Ronald McDonald House was already a sense of security in our hearts from our time spent there when our oldest son was born 13 weeks early in 2004. I was discharged from the hospital four days after having the twins and there are no words to describe the relief we felt upon checking in at RMH. We lived an hour away from the hospital and the House was just across the street. After having a C-section, I was unable to walk upstairs so the staff was sure to put us in a comfy, first floor room to begin, and then after a couple of weeks we were able to move upstairs to a family room! This allowed our four older children to stay with us regularly, relieving our family members of babysitting duties and us parents of the sadness brought on by being away from them. During our stay, we were treated just like family. If we needed something, we were helped immediately and without feeling as if we were a burden. The House itself was comfortable, serene, clean and spacious. Our children felt as though they were on a vacation! We were provided with delicious evening meals, which relieved quite a bit of stress from us and the volunteers who provided it were always very friendly and gracious. Our boys spent exactly five weeks in the NICU. During what was one of the most difficult times in our lives, we could not have been more thankful for the Ronald McDonald House and the amazing staff. We will be forever grateful!
ShareAHeart.org