At just 27 weeks of gestation, our precious Arabella was born on January 19th, 2025 through an emergency C-section in our local Zanesville Hospital. Weighing just 1 pound and 8 ounces, our sweet girl needed immediate and extensive care. Her very first car ride was in the ambulance to Nationwide Children’s Hospital while I remained in the facility she was born in. For the next 24 hours, the only updates I had on my daughter were through hourly phone calls with her NICU team. Immediately after I was discharged, we rushed to Columbus to be with our baby girl. We stayed our first night in the room with her, feeling terrified, confused and exhausted. Then, we were introduced to Ronald McDonald House Charities. While both of us had heard about them, we didn’t realize how big of an impact they could have for our family.
The next day, we made our way over to RMHC and were immediately greeted by the soft and caring staff. They provided us with a safe space, a room, meals and a hot shower in addition to listening ears and positive feedback. They gave us the ability to come and go as we needed, anytime day or night and to be as close to our daughter as we could be while accommodating both our needs and beliefs. Our life outside the NICU was also accommodated, allowing our two other children, ages 7 and 4, to stay here with us. While I’m fortunate to still be on maternity leave, my husband has returned to work to be able to provide for our needs outside of the hospital and our “home-away-from-home.” Arabella’s siblings enjoy the many playrooms, scheduled activities, the playground and summer splash pad, LEGO room, princess room and movie theater that allow them to just be kids.
We have now been here for 53 days and still have a long journey ahead of us. We will continue to look forward to being greeted with such smiling and caring faces. We have met some of the nicest people working here that not only care about our well-being but all our kids as well. We couldn’t put into words how appreciative we are for Ronald McDonald House Charities and the community for allowing us to be a part of the “family” and to stay here until our baby’s future discharge date.
As Mother’s Day approaches, please consider donating to help other families like mine. Your donations go toward toiletries, hot meals, resources and, most importantly, the ability to give families the reassurance of being as close to their sick children as they can be, which, in most cases, is all us mothers could ask for. We couldn’t be more grateful for all the help we have received and wish to thank every single person who has made this experience as great as it could be for one of our toughest times.
From one grateful and blessed family to yours,
Devantae, Destiny, Amiyah, Zavion and Arabella Hancock.
