At 3 years old, Maggie Ormes has decided she has two houses. There’s one in Anderson, S.C. where she lives with her parents, Brandi and Josh, and one in Atlanta, where she races through the doors, climbs the slides and sings “Let It Go” from Frozen. Maggie’s “other house” is Ronald McDonald House Atlanta on the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Arthur M. Blank Hospital campus, where she and her parents stayed Monday through Friday for six weeks while she received radiation treatment at Children’s for embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma, a form of soft tissue cancer. The House gives families like the Ormeses a place to stay, meals, laundry and a sense of normalcy, free of charge. For Maggie, it means crafts in the art room, rides in her pink wagon and time to simply be a 3-year-old. For her parents, it means something just as important: room to breathe. “You just don’t have the mental bandwidth,” said Josh Ormes of navigating treatment. At Ronald McDonald House Atlanta, some of that weight lifts. Brandi Ormes said the relationships with staff and other families became “almost therapeutic.” For Maggie, it’s simply home.
Since 1979, when the first Atlanta house opened, Ronald McDonald House Atlanta has been fulfilling a mission of providing essential services that remove barriers, strengthen families and promote healing when children need healthcare.
Research shows that patients whose families stayed at the Ronald McDonald House are the sickest, traveled the farthest distances and spent the longest time in the hospital.
- Family proximity to the hospital provides important psychological benefits
- Parents get better sleep at a Ronald McDonald House
- Families who stay in a Ronald McDonald House report more positive hospital experiences and a greater ability to participate in their child’s care
To prepare a meal or support these special families, visit: RonaldMcdonaldHouseatl.org