A Ronald McDonald Family Room is like the cheeseburger in a kid’s meal.  Still tasty, still gets the job done, but on a much smaller & faster scale.

From the Wake Med website:

The Ronald McDonald Family Room is located at the end of the hall past the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).  The room is for families with children in the Children’s Hospital and is staffed with volunteers seven days a week, 9 am to 9 pm.  With comfortable couches, a microwave, a washer/dryer, a TV and computers, the Ronald McDonald room is a private, relaxing space for family members as they endure a stressful life experience.

Can’t wait to get officially trained as volunteer & help out!  Any Raleigh/Triangle gals care to join me?

Kate and Mark Storm’s sweet baby Getty was diagnosed with SMA1 – the number one genetic killer of infants under the age of two.

When I learned that Stacey was coincidentally a fan of The Damnwells, a band whose members include my best friends Alex and Angela Dezen, sparks started flying, and soon Sweet Water Child: Lullabies for Getty was born.

Sweet Water Child is a beautiful album of lullabies my friends wrote and performed, the proceeds of which will go entirely to The Getty Owl Foundation, a newly established non-profit which Kate and Mark set up in their daughter’s honor.

Scared, worried, & 100 miles from their home, Lexi & her family found refuge & hope within the walls of the Ronald McDonald House. What they didn’t expect to find though was the kind of love that can help heal cancer.  With the House, Lexi and her family knew they weren’t fighting alone; they had the support of a huge new family — the Ronald McDonald House family.

“Alexis & I felt so welcome and safe while staying there,” said Adriana, Lexi’s mother.  “My favorite memory of the House was witnessing the bonds forming between Lexi & the other children battling cancer. My daughter took the love that she was given at the House, & shared it with the other children, especially the younger ones, & in turn helped them find the courage they needed to heal.”

This winter, Lexi had the opportunity to share the love of the House publicly. She helped the Ronald McDonald House of Spokane paint the number 24 all over the city as a symbol to other children & families that 24 hours a day, Ronald McDonald Houses are there to provide strength & support in the face of adversity.  Lexi continues being an ambassador for the Charity, spreading the hope, strength & love that it represents.

Today Lexi is cancer-free, & Lexi and her family are forever grateful for the living network of support & love that helped them win their battle against cancer.

Rock on, Lexi.  ROCK ON.

1. Have a weird straggler hair that every viewer wants to chop off.
2. Say “home” in an odd way that is reminiscent of Stewie Griffen.
3. Sit on an incredibly low couch that will squish your entire body into a square, making it wider than the gap between the Tea Party & basic sanity.
4. Coerce the camera guys into shooting at a very weird angle.
5. Rock your mean face when being asked a heartfelt question.

oh, Lord.  This is embarrassing.  But I was so happy to sit & talk about ways to give back.  & I cannot WAIT to tell you about my new project with RMHC.

Also yes, that is my last name.  Please don’t stalk me.  Holla!

As a military family, we know what it means to surround ourselves with strength.  So, when our son was diagnosed with brain cancer we set out to build an army.  We found the best doctors, nurses and specialists and then the rest of our army found us at the Ronald McDonald House.

At first, we thought the Ronald McDonald House would be much like a hotel, a place to grab a few hours of sleep and shower.  Little did I know we would discover our secret weapon to Dylan’s recovery – the people that would keep my husband and me strong – physically, emotionally and spiritually – so we could be strong for Dylan.

We drew strength from the staff who counted the days of Dylan’s radiation with us; the volunteers who made sure we never worried about a warm meal; and the other families, who gave us hope and solace through their stories.

And Dylan grew stronger too.  He never had to fear that we would get stuck in traffic if he woke up frightened and we needed to rush to his side.  He took comfort in knowing we were staying at Ronald McDonald’s House.  And, when he came to the House to stay during his radiation treatments, he could feel like just another kid, not a kid with cancer.

After only five months Dylan was tumor free – due in no small part, doctors said, to the unwavering support from the veritable army of volunteers, families and staff at the Ronald McDonald House.

I don’t think our family would have come out of this situation as well as we did without the Ronald McDonald House.  Until you’ve gone through something like this, you couldn’t comprehend how many people you will need to help get you through it.  Thanks to Ronald McDonald House our team is stronger, and now our son is, too.

-          Janel Przybysz, Dylan’s mom

For pictures, video, & even more on the story, please visit here!

RMHC is in the health & wellness category, neck & neck with the American Heart Association & Phoenix House (a drug rehab center).   While these are also well-deserving charities, this is VITAL FUNDING for for the RMHC & could provide even more Ronald McDonald Houses, Family Rooms & Care Mobiles.

VOTE HERE.

(p.s. you can vote once per week!)

& remember to also vote in your local elections.

Oh, Ronald.  Way to show your support!

On October 10, 2010, over 200 volunteers geared up & ran 26.2 miles through the streets of Chicago to raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities.

(yeah.  I couldn’t run 1 mile if I tried, but I am training for a 5K.)

Here’s an awesome article about it.

How did they even run with all those people?!

Did I mention that they raised over

$350,000?!

I met two other gals in Durham, NC for a 5K race for the Ronald McDonald House of Durham.  It’s the second 5K I’ve ever participated in (the first one being in NYC this past August) & I was so pumped.  & nervous.  I can hold my own but to be honest, I’m not in great shape.  Thankfully, we all decided that we were much better off walking, especially considering there were two babes sitting in strollers.

Harrison met Ronald McDonald.

He was unimpressed.

I was (happily) shocked at the amount of folks that turned out – over 280!!  I cannot wait to hear the amount of money raised – last year was over $12,000!

The race (& I use the term “race” very loosely) wove through a very pretty neighborhood, but OH MY GOD, the first hill was murder.  Probably because I was pushing an extra 30 lbs in front of me, but it was intense.  The humidity was also rough, but our bladders probably hindered us the most.

So when we strolled by a shopping center, Shannon watched the boys while Ashley & I ran into the Rite Aide to pee.  Yep.  We did that.  Klassy.

We had a fantastic time laughing, getting to know each other, sharing stories, & letting Ashley compare the BOB & Bumbleride strollers.  & we managed not to punch the male UNC cheerleaders in the face when they taunted us for walking with jogging strollers.  So really, it’s like we won the race but just didn’t get a trophy.

They really were handing out trophies.  & cupcakes:

Sort of counter-productive to the work out, right?

& of course, we stopped by the RMH booth, which had a ton of goodies & if you’re interested in any of them, email me & I’ll get you hooked up!  I have been dying to see the Durham RMH & Lindsay was sweet enough to offer a tour after the race, but Harrison hadn’t napped or had his morning bottle…which was about to be a recipe for disaster.

But we had a blast & I can’t wait until next year’s race!