2 out of 3 Canadians live in a city or town without a specialized children’s hospital – meaning that when a child is sick, they must travel long distances for care.
For families like the Stephens family from Warfield BC, this can mean facing impossible choices. Where will they stay? Will they have to leave their jobs? How can they care for their other children?
This unthinkable scenario happened for Mark and Keri Stephens when, after a routine pediatrician’s appointment for their baby son Thatcher, they found themselves on an air ambulance to Vancouver. He had cancer, and treatment he needed could only happen far from home.
That’s where Ronald McDonald House BC & Yukon came in for the Stephens family, providing accommodation, wellness programs, and a community of support when it mattered most. The Stephens stayed for 196 nights, along with Thatcher’s older sisters Genevieve and Clementine.
While their lives have been uprooted, Ronald McDonald House helped the Stephens family to stay together when they needed each other most. “Before this, the longest I had been away from my family was a week, and for Keri a day,” remembers Mark. “Coming here, we didn’t know when we would be able to be together as a family again.”
They checked in to Ronald McDonald House just in time for Clementine’s birthday – a silver lining that they didn’t expect. For Mark and Keri, their burdens were eased knowing that their children had the opportunity to just be kids, even during the midst of Thatcher’s treatment.
This situation that the Stephens family found themselves in is far from unusual. One in four Canadians has stayed at a Ronald McDonald House or knows someone who has.
Odds are, someone you know will need Ronald McDonald House one day.
That’s why your Family Stays 50/50 ticket powered by Bombardier matters. This month until July 25, visit familystays5050.ca to buy your tickets and make a difference for families like the Stephens family.
Every ticket helps families from the Kootenays to stay together while their child receives medical care. The estimated jackpot is $250,000, with half the pot supporting families and half to our winner!
Buy your tickets today at familystays5050.ca.
Deadline to enter is July 25th.
Actual odds depend on the number of tickets sold.
Must be 19+ to play.
BC Gaming Event License 172620.
Bcresponsiblegambling.ca
