It’s the home you never want to need, but when you do, you’re thankful it is there, and that is Ronald McDonald House (RMH).
A place Warfield parent’s Mark and Keri Stephens know all too well.
The Stephens stayed at RHM for over six months from September 2021, while their son Thatcher underwent treatment, finding comfort and community far from home.
“Our, at that point, four-month-old son was diagnosed with stage 4S neuroblastoma, a tumor-based childhood cancer.” said Keri.
“We stayed down in Vancouver near BC Children’s Hospital so that he could go through treatment.”
It was a journey for the whole family, including Thatcher’s two older sister. But knowing they weren’t alone made a big difference.
Thatcher and his mom Keri were medevaced to Vancouver with less than 18hours notice, that start of a long road ahead.
“We didn’t have a plan. We didn’t know how long we were going to be there and so, when the social worker as part of our care team reached out and said that she would make contact with Ronald McDonald House.” said Mark.
“We really didn’t expect anything or really know what it was going to be like, and then walking in and being there, I knew we were going to make it through this. We’re going to be okay.”
And through RMH Mark was able to keep his family together, and a promise to his middle daughter.
“We made a promise to our middle child, Clementine, that we would all be together for her birthday.” said Mark.
“Ronald McDonald made that possible for us, and three of our five people in our family have had birthdays down there, we had our wedding anniversary there, we had Christmas there and Thanksgiving.”
“Its a place that allowed us to continue to be a family and really increase the care for Thatcher, that he got to be with his sisters and both of us.”
The Stephens are hoping, through the RMH Light the House Campaign, more families can get the support they need during difficult times.
“Ronald McDonald House really made the difference for our family,” said Keri.
“Being so far from home with such a scary thing, it was really wonderful to be able to be at Ronald McDonald House together as a family, to be able to have the support of us all and of all the people in the house throughout that journey.”
“Although we were far from our home we found a new home there.”
And RMH is more than just a roof over your head.
“There’s a number of programs that we took advantage of, especially with our older girls,” said Kerri.
“There was art and music therapy, and since then, they have added education supports to help keep up with their schooling.”
Light the House Campaign
Now is your chance to dig deep and donate, as Ronald McDonald House BC kicks off its Light the House Campaign to support families with children in critical care, including Kootenay families.
This year, every donation to Light the House will be doubled, up to a $25,000 match, helping more families stay close to their children.
Where is Thatcher now?
The Stephens are proud to report Thatcher is thriving three years on, with recent scans over summer showing no evidence of disease and moving his care into the long-term follow-up phase.
“They’ll just monitor Thatcher until he’s 18 just to make sure and check on the side effects from all the chemotherapies and the different treatments that he received over the treatment process.” said Keri.
“We’re super blessed and happy to have that prognosis for us and we know that many families unfortunately don’t get that prognosis.”
“It has taught us to live every day to the fullest and to remember that we do have a gift in what we have.”
Be the first to know! Don’t miss out on breaking news and daily updates in your area. Sign up to MyKootenayNow News Alerts.
