It all happened so fast, mother Faith Johannsen wasn’t sure where to go and what to do.
Her three-year-old son Eli was sick. Very sick. Cancer. Stage 4 myoblastoma.
And he needed to get to BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver for treatment as fast as humanly possible.
But it was midnight and the family was in Vernon.
“It was a complete whirlwind,” Johannsen recalls.
Johannsen, her husband Ian, and their four-week-old baby Solomon drove through the night to the coast. When they finally arrived at four in the morning and Eli was admitted into hospital, there were no hotels open and the family had no idea where to stay.
“We had no time to pack properly, we didn’t have any toiletries,” she says.
Staff at the hospital directed the family to the Ronald McDonald House, and there the family found a respite when they needed it most.
“They took us in no questions asked and made us feel right at home,” she says. “They welcomed us like a long lost friend.”
For more than 30 years, the Ronald McDonald House BC has been providing a roof over the heads of families who are forced to travel to Vancouver from across the province so their sick children can receive major hospital treatment.
This month the facility moved into its new home, adjacent to BC Children’s Hospital on Heather Street.
While the old Ronald McDonald House could only serve 13 families at a time, the new facility will be able to house more than 70. Each bedroom will contain its own independent air intake, ensuring clean germ-free air for children with suppressed immune systems.
The new Ronald McDonald House is actually more of a campus, with four interconnected homes each capable of housing 18 families, with communal kitchens and dining rooms. The facility has been built to LEED gold environmental standards and also contains a fitness room for parents, kids play rooms, an arts and crafts studio, and indoor and outdoor lounges.
The facility, which operates as an independent non-profit charity, cost $31 million to build, with $14 million coming from the provincial government and $5.7 million coming from McDonald’s franchise owners.
“We built it with input from the parents themselves,” says Richard Pass, CEO of Ronald McDonald House BC. “We wanted to know what they thought RMH should have.”
Pass says the new facility will be able to serve more than 2,500 families annually, allowing them to stay together while they endure every parent’s nightmare.
“Kids heal better when the whole family is together,” he says.
In the eight months since the Johannsens arrived at Ronald McDonald House, Eli has finished six rounds of chemotherapy, and has received a bone marrow transplant, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy. Doctors tell Faith he’ll need another eight months of treatment, and then years of recovery.
For Johannsen and her family, Ronald McDonald House has become their home, and they couldn’t be happier with their new digs.
“It’s been our sanctuary through all of this,” she says. “In a moment of absolute darkness, it provides support and warmth.”
Ronald McDonald House’s Amazing Journey
You can help Ronald McDonald House BC raise much-needed funds and have a heck of a good time this summer. On Aug 24, competitors (in teams of two) will race across Vancouver while completing a series of fun challenges as part of Ronald McDonald House’s Amazing Journey.
Modelled after the popular TV game show, competitors will have to perform tasks ranging from scavenger hunts to street karaoke to fitness boot camp, with prizes awarded to the top fundraisers and fastest team. After the race, contestants can enjoy a barbecue with family and friends at Scotiabank Field at Nat Bailey Stadium, with all proceeds donated to Ronald McDonald House BC.
Visit the website for more information or to enter a team. You can also contact Dayna at 604-736-2957 ext 2134 or [email protected].
