From our Guests…
Mrs. Cherie Johnson, grandmother of Rylie Nicole Johnson writes:
Rylie Nicole was born Thursday, March 2, 2006. She is the daughter of Daniel and Shawna Johnson. Rylie was born on base at Irwin Army Hospital, Ft. Riley, KS. (reason for her name).
Daniel is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and spent 13 months as a Cavalry Scout with the 1st Brigade Combat Team HHC 1-34, near Fallujah and Ramadi, Iraq. He was scheduled for re-deployment in January, 2006, but received an early Christmas present when his brigade’s deployment was cancelled.
Daniel and Shawna met through relatives in Illinois while Daniel was on a 30 day leave. They were married in February 2005. Daniel’s family is from Wisconsin and Shawna’s from Illinois. The couple was in the process of closing up housekeeping and moving to Wisconsin when Rylie was born.
Rylie was flown by Life Star to Stormont Vail Neonatal Intensive Care Unit soon after her birth. She was diagnosed with pneumonia.
We learned of the Ronald McDonald House from hospital staff while we were in the process of looking for a hotel. The family incurred unexpected expenses with the additional time needed to be with Rylie during her illness. We were greatly surprised by the generosity and kindness shown to us by the staff of RMH. We each had a room with a private bath, access to food in the kitchen and laundry facilities. We always felt welcome and in fact, one afternoon a group of girls from a local university prepared freshly baked foods for our family and other guests at RMH.
The House is huge, clean, and quiet. There are plenty of rooms where you can relax, watch TV, read or just sit on the massive front porch. There is a feeling of being at home away from home during a time of stress, anxiety and coping with emotions. Even though words cannot express our gratitude, we can take with us the memory of friendliness and hospitality shown to us during our stay. With the world around us changing so fast, there is security in knowing there are so many people who continue to care about you.
There are so many people to thank…the medical team at Irwin Army Hospital, the flight crew from Life Star who transported our baby safely, the Drs and nurses at Stormont Vail NICU. We especially thank the Ronald McDonald House with our sincerity.
One Soldier’s Story
My name is Specialist Brad Triplett, US ARMY, currently stationed at Ft. Riley, KS. In August my wife Traci, went to the emergency room at Ft. Riley. The hospital told us she was going into premature labor. The staff immediately medically air evacuated her to Stormont Vail Hospital in Topeka, an hour and a half drive away, where we stayed for nine nights.
I stayed with my wife in a small room by day and by night, sleeping on a small cot next to her bed. We were told by our doctor that Traci could walk around, but was not to go too far, because if we went back home, the Post Hospital would not be able to take care of her at this point if anything else went wrong.
As much as it hurt me to say, I told my wife we just could not afford to stay in a hotel even for the night. A social worker contacted us about staying in a Ronald McDonald House and I immediately said yes so my wife could get out of the very stressful hospital environment. On the way, I told my wife I hoped it was not too bad, but at least we would get an actual bed to sleep on.
When we arrived, we were amazed at the comfort level of the house. We began by looking around, and were happy to find a place where we could wash our clothes. We found the kitchen to be a blessing, as we could buy food to put in the refrigerator, or eat the home-cooked meals volunteers brought to us almost daily.
The house manager was very nice and answered every question we had. So many things that we were lacking had been donated to the house. There was soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste, shampoo, laundry detergent, canned goods, and more. They donated time, food, etc., to this house. It actually feels like living in a regular, big, house.
This is by far the most stressful event of our lives, and the Ronald McDonald House has taken a lot of the stress out of our situation. If it were not for the Ronald McDonald House, my wife would have spent a month living day and night in a cramped, stressful environment unhealthy for her and our baby. I would have also spent a month doing the same sleeping on a cot next to her. Instead, we were watching a TV program together, sitting on the porch, watching one of about a thousand donated movies, or maybe even playing games. I cannot put into words the thankfulness my wife and I have for this house. The house, the staff, the donations, and the volunteers have helped us in ways we will never be able to repay.
