FAMILY PROFILE
Bates
Home: Mt. Vernon, MO (Lawrence County)
Briggs Grantlee was born in April of 2019, four weeks before his due date. Initially, Briggs was breathing too rapidly and had to be monitored before being released to us. Upon further monitoring, Briggs oxygen levels were not stabilizing like they should, so he was admitted into the NICU at Cox Hospital until his lungs were stronger and further developed. As first-time parents, uncertainty, fear, and so many other emotions filled our hearts. Naturally, we wanted to spend as much time as possible with our new baby to nurture and care for him, but commuting 40 minutes each way to and from the hospital was daunting, stressful, and took away from the time we needed to care for ourselves. The social workers at Cox sent a referral and advised us to take advantage of the rooms, warm beds, meals and showers provided by the Ronald McDonald House. Staff and volunteers at the House were incredibly kind and comforting. They provided us a place of solace and privacy where my husband and I could take showers, get some rest, and take care of ourselves physically in order to provide the best care we could for Briggs. Most importantly, the Ronald McDonald House was a place where we could retreat and take care of ourselves mentally and emotionally, but allowed us to be close enough to the hospital that we could be at Briggs side in a quick moment if necessary. The House was much more than a room and a warm bed; it was a home-away-from-home. The Ronald McDonald House allowed us to be the best we could, for the benefit of our baby Briggs, as we watched him grow and thrive over the following 25 days. We are forever grateful for the relief, support, hospitality, and love they provided our family. ShareAHeart
http://www.shareaheart.org
ShareAHeart.org http://kaywa.me/xk1ka