The Oyer Family Will Never Forget The Ronald McDonald House
In October 2011, my pregnant wife was rushed over 90 minutes from home to Cabell Huntington Hospital and was told she wouldn’t return home until our daughter was born. She was only 23 weeks along in her pregnancy and the doctors said the outcome didn’t look promising. The next week was a blur of medicines, tests, reports, waiting, and, most importantly, praying. In addition to all of this, we have two precious boys, ages two and four, who were staying at home with grandparents not understanding why mommy and daddy were gone. I was traveling back and forth as much as possible, not wanting to leave my wife and unborn daughter, but knowing I needed to be there for our boys as well. Hearing their cries to be with their mother and hearing my wife’s cries to be with her boys was breaking my heart. I had to do something to bring them closer together. This is where our blessing of the Ronald McDonald House starts. Some of the nurses at Cabell had mentioned it to us, so we prayed, and I went over to check it out. The volunteers were friendly and welcoming. There was a playroom for the kids, a laundry room and kitchen so I could take care of their needs, and it was located close enough for us to travel back and forth to the hospital easily. We got a room that day, and I went home to move our boys to Huntington, W.Va. The boys were very excited to be moving close to mommy, and when we arrived at the Ronald McDonald House and they laid eyes on the playroom, they were even more excited!They played inside, outside, and all around the Ronald McDonald House. They loved greeting the friendly Ronald McDonald that sits on the entrance bench. They looked forward to the morning chores and helping out around the house. We prayed together for the other families in the house and the struggles they were facing. We bonded with the staff and volunteers and was thankful for their endless patience and love for two rambunctious little boys.
Through one of God’s many miracles, our beautiful daughter, Edeyn Grace, was born December 18, 2011, at 32 weeks, completely healthy!Because of her age, she needed to stay in the NICU for a few weeks, so my wife left the hospital after a 58-day stay and joined us at the Ronald McDonald House. Not only were we able to celebrate the birth of our daughter, but we were also blessed to be able to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, together as we spent a beautiful Christmas at the Ronald McDonald House. As you can tell, the Ronald McDonald House and all who support it did so much more than just provide us with a place to stay. They helped provide endless dinners, gifts, hugs and smiles, they even provided Christmas presents for our family!
They enabled us to remain a close family even under extremely difficult circumstances. The boys were able to spend time with their mommy every day and develop a sense of stability and security. We were even able to start new traditions together, like the lighting of the Ronald McDonald House for Christmas! After spending 73 days in Huntington, we packed up and left the Ronald McDonald House and finally headed home to Jackson, Ohio as a family of five. Most would think we would be thrilled for that day. However, we left with feelings we didn’t expect – a hesitation and a sort of sadness. You see, we had found a new home. We had found new family and friends who loved us and prayed with us and for us during our trial, helping us face each day with courage and hope. Because of this, Huntington will always be our second home. We saw many miracles happen during this event in our life, and the hospitality, warmth, love and support of the Ronald
McDonald house and it’s wonderful volunteers is definitely one of them. Words cannot express how truly thankful we are.
With love and continued support,
Justin, Amy, Colsen, Coen and Edeyn Oyer