pushing through”
–Jessica Wagner
they give you that little extra to keep
“When you’re ready to curl up in a ball and just give up...
Twenty-five weeks.
That’s how long Jessica Wagner, of Ash Grove, Missouri, had been pregnant when she started experiencing symptoms of labor. At first, Jessica thought nothing of it, turning her attention to her students instead. There was a planned masking protest at the elementary school where she serves as principal, and her first thought was to be there for the children—supervise the protest and ensure all who wished had the opportunity to speak. She was still feeling off a few hours later, though, and made the decision to call her husband, Tyson, and let him know they needed to visit Labor and Delivery.
Everything happened fast. It was 5:30 in the afternoon on December 10, 2021 when the Wagners visited Labor and Delivery. By 9:30 that night, their son, Cole, was ready to make his debut. Jessica underwent an emergency C-section, leaving Tyson to start making phone calls.
It was the beginning of a long four months for the new family. The first time Jessica saw her son, he was in an incubator. He weighed one pound and fifteen ounces and could fit in the palm of his mother’s hands. Despite their fear and uncertainty, Jessica and Tyson remained strong. Cole’s early arrival hadn’t been planned, but doctors still believed he was going to be fine...even though the road ahead was long. Cole was a micro-preemie and would spend the first four months of his life at the hospital, with his parents a few steps away as the newest residents of the Ronald McDonald House.
“They went out of their way to make us feel at home right from the start,” Jessica Wagner remembers. “We spent the first night in a really lovely room, but when they realized we were likely to be here for a few months, they asked if we would like to move into a room with a window. It became the Wagner Room.”
There were a number of complications and setbacks for both Cole and his parents, including a COVID diagnosis that prevented Dad from seeing his son for a week, and Mom for fourteen days. Neither parent was able to even hold Cole until a full month had passed. In the meantime, both had work obligations demanding their attention. The staff and volunteers at Ronald McDonald House worked with Jessica to help her
“You build families when you’re here.”
establish her “office-away-from-work, ” as she affectionately called it. Even though the school had arranged a substitute, there were aspects of the job only the principal could truly handle. Jessica was able to comfortably work while knowing her son was just a five-minute walk away. The opportunity to stay at the Ronald McDonald House was a saving grace for the Wagners. Cole ended up needing seven brain surgeries over the course of their stay, a terrifying prospect for any parent. Because of the House, they were within easy reach around the clock, and, they had a private place where they could let themselves experience the fear and uncertainty they lived with every day. They didn’t have to worry about meals or the anxiety of piecing together a schedule where they could see their son while also working to provide for him. By the time their 129-night stay came to an end, they felt they were leaving home to go home.
“Heart
Houses” and Adopt a Room, they make the Ronald McDonald Houses possible for the Wagner family and thousands of other area families. During a typical year, more than 800 families find a community of comfort and hope at our two Ronald McDonald Houses in Springfield. By Adopting a Room for 2023 in one or both of our Houses, you are keeping families of sick children close to each other and near the care and resources they need.
“Without Ronald McDonald House, we wouldn’t have been a family. We would have been separated for 4 months.”
When our generous supporters
the
When you Heart the Houses, You Help Families Like the Wagners Stay Close. To hear more about their story, visit HearttheHouses.org Adopt a Room today. The 2022 Heart the Houses Campaign is Presented by Online at HearttheHouses.org Scan QR Code By Phone at 417-875-3505 By Mail (Response Card Enclosed) Gifts of Stock are Welcome
Ronald McDonald House Near Cox South Hospital Laundry M: $170 Q: $500 Y: $2,000 Alcove Alcove Bedroom 204 M: $235 / Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M: $235 Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M: $235 Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M: $235 Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M: $235 Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M: $235 Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M: $235 Q: $700 M: $235 / Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M: $235 / Q: $700 Y: $2,800 Bedroom 205 Bedroom 206 Bedroom 207 Bedroom 208 Bedroom 209 Bedroom 201 Bedroom 202 Bedroom 203 Laundry M: $170 Q: $500 Y: $2,000 Living Room Playroom Family Room M: $835 / Q: $2,500 / Y: $10,000 M: $585 / Q: $1,750 Y: $7,000 M: $500 / Q: $1,500 Y: $6,000 M: $835 / Q: $2,500 / Y: $10,000 M: $500 / Q: $1,500 Y: $6,000 M: $500 / Q: $1,500 Y: $6,000 Main Entryway M: $335 / Q: $1,000 / Y: $4,000 Office for Volunteers & Staff M: $420 Q:$1,250 Y: $5,000 Dining Room Dining Room Kitchen Linen Bedroom 103 Bedroom 104 Bedroom 105 Bedroom 101 Bedroom 102 FIRST FLOOR M: $235 / Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M: $235 / Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M: $235 / Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M: $235 / Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M: $235 / Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M = MONTH Q = QUARTER Y = YEAR When you Heart the Houses, and ADOPT A ROOM, You Help Families Like the Wagners Stay Close.
Scan QR Code & Adopt a Room Today. 417- 875 - 3505 HeartTheHouses.org
Photo by Gayle Babcock, Architectural Imageworks, LLC.
Ronald McDonald House at Mercy Kids Laundry Chute Room Donor Wall Stairs Playroom M: $500 Q: $1,500 Y: $6,000 M: $295 / Q: $875 Y: $3,500 Gathering Main Entry M: $335 Q: $1,000 Y: $4,000 Storage Bedroom 101 Bedroom 110 Bedroom 102 Bedroom 103 Bedroom 105 Bedroom 104 Bedroom 108 Bedroom 109 Bedroom 107 M: $295 / Q: $875 Y:$3,500 Computer Nook Laundry M: $420 Q: $1,250 Y: $5,000 Elevators Office for Volunteers & Staff M: $420 / Q: $1,250 Y: $5,000 Kitchen Dining Room Living Room M: $835 Q: $2,500 Y: $10,000 M: $235 Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M: $235 Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M: $235 Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M: $235 Q: $700 Y: $2,800 Bedroom 106 M: $235 Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M: $235 / Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M: $235 / Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M: $235 / Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M: $235 / Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M: $235 Q: $700 Y: $2,800 M: $585 Q: $1,750 Y: $7,000 M: $835 Q: $2,500 Y: $10,000 Asst. Mgr. M: $420 / Q: $1,250 Y: $5,000 Family Locker Room M: $100 Q: $300 Y: $1,200 The 2022 Heart the Houses Campaign is Presented by When you Heart the Houses, ADOPT A ROOM, You Help Families Like the Wagners Stay Close. MERCY CORRIDOR Scan QR Code & Adopt a Room Today. 417- 875 - 3505 HeartTheHouses.org M = MONTH Q = QUARTER Y = YEAR
NAME:
have marked the room I wish to sponsor on the other side of this form. If name(s) on recognition materials is to appear differently from above, please print: PAYMENT INFORMATION (Choose One) Enclosed is my donation of $ . Please charge my credit card $ . Card Number Exp. Date Security Code Billing Address Signature IF YOUR DONATION IS A GIFT OF TRIBUTE, please complete the information below. This gift is in HONOR or MEMORY of: Please notify: Address: To complete your contribution by mail, please fill out both sides of this form and return in the enclosed envelope. I am unable to Adopt a Room; my donation is enclosed. Help Families Stay Close, ADOPT A ROOM! ONLINE at HearttheHouses.org Scan the QR CODE on back By PHONE at 417-875-3505 By MAIL using this card GIFTS OF STOCK are welcome Your gifts of stock are welcome, or become a monthly donor to fulfill your contribution Call 417-875-3505 for more information.
DONOR
I
House at Mercy Kids MONTH QUARTER YEAR Bedroom (10 available) $235 $700 $2,800 Living Room $835 $2,500 $10,000 Playroom $500 $1,500 $6,000 Gathering Room $295 $875 $3,500 Dining Room $585 $1,750 $7,000 Kitchen $835 $2,500 $10,000 Computer Nook $295 $875 $3,500 Office for Volunteers & Staff $420 $1,250 $5,000 Family Care Mgrs’ $420 $1,250 $5,000 Main Entryway $335 $1,000 $4,000 Laundry Center $420 $1,250 $5,000 Family Locker Room $100 $300 $1,200 TOTAL AMOUNT ADOPTED: $ House Near Cox South MONTH QUARTER YEAR Bedroom (14 available) $235 $700 $2,800 Family Room $835 $2,500 $10,000 Living Room $585 $1,750 $7,000 Playroom $500 $1,500 $6,000 Kitchen $835 $2,500 $10,000 Dining Room (2 available) $500 $1,500 $6,000 Family Living Center $585 $1,750 $7,000 Office for Volunteers & Staff $420 $1,250 $5,000 Family Care Mgrs’ $420 $1,250 $5,000 Main Entryway $335 $1,000 $4,000 Laundry Room (2 available) $170 $500 $2,000 To complete your contribution by mail, please fill out both sides of this form and return in the enclosed envelope. Or Scan QR Code Below & Adopt a Room Today.